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iLIBRAltYOFCOxNGRESS.f 

fUNITFT^ <;t jtf^ (sp \MERICA. ^ 



.Christian s Guide to Heaven; 

OR, ^ ' 

A COMPLETE MANUAL OF 

CATHOLIC PIETY. 

CONTAIKING A SELECTION Of 

FERVENT PRAYERS, PIOUS REFLECTIONS, PATHBTIC 
MEDITATIONS, AND SOLID INSTRUCTIONS, 

Adapted to every State of Life. 
BY THE REV. WILLIAM GAHAN, O. S.A. 



If you ask the Father any thing in my Name, he will 
give it you, 

St. John, c. xvi. vc^3. 



THE riVENTY-FIRST^DITlON^. 
^ — . . ' 

TO WHICM IS ANKEXEU 

AN APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING 

The Litany for a happy \ The Litany of St, "VVini- ' 

Deatti. \ fred; 

The Litany of Divine Pro- * And a Tribute to the Me, 

^'idence. \ mory of the pious Author. 



DUBLIN: 

PRINTED BY R. COYNE. 4, CAFEL -^TRLEn 



PREF^^E. 



OF all tlie means we can employ for our acl\'ancement 
iii the great affair of our salvation, Prayer is certainly 
one of the most powerful. St. Augustiue calls it the Key 
of Heaven, that ujalocks the treasures of God, and gives us 
free access to tlie riclies of his divine hounty. It was by 
prayer tJiat Elias, when lie please<l, opened and shut the 
sluices of Heaven, and caused iire to descend from above to 
consume his Sacrifice. It was by prayer that Joshua caused 
the sun to stop in the midst of it« course. The prater of 
3Ioses contributed more to tlie signal victory obtained by 
Joshua over the army of xhe Amalekites, than all the weapons 
of Israel ; for, as long as his hands were raised up to Heaven, 
his prayers drew down a blessing on the people of God ; but 
no sooner did he let his hands fall down, (being unable to keep 
tliaoa in that painful poiiture,) and had ceased from prayer, 
than the Amalekites Ijegan to prevaiL 

But if prayer be so powerful, it is no less necessary : our 
poverty and indigence — our manifold wants, infirmities, ^md 
miseries — the various dangers to which we are coiitijuially 
exposed — the frequent temptations we have to encounter — 
* (Our absolute insufficiency of ourselves, and inability to do 
the least good, without the grace of God — are corroborating 
proofs of the indispensable necessity of prayer, 

lliough every good gift comes from the Father of Lights, 
w ho knoM s our wants, and is always inclined to relieve us, yet 
he requires that we have recourse in all our necessities, cor- 
poral or spiritaal, to the throne of liis mercy, under the 
assurance that whatever we ask with confidence, humility, 
j piety, and perseverance, in the name of Jesijs, shall be 
I granted. 

However, the idea of prayer is not to be confined to that 
of petition, as frequently happens. Many Christians, in- 
deed, pray to God; but where are they to be found, wIjo, 
like David, are incessantly employed in singing the mercies 
of the Lord, and have the remembrance of them deeply 
engraven in their hearts? They call upon God, to represent 
, to him their wants, either temporal or spiritual; they appear 
j only in his presence with a hand lifted up to receive, as if 
; they imagined he M'as indebted to them, and that he never 
^^ave them enough. Thev have a heart but to wisli, and a 
' A 2 



4 



PREFACE. 



tongue but to ask. Their wants are eloquent and pressing, 
their gratitude cold and silent ; for how seldom do they think 
of appearing before him to bless and praise him, and to 
celebrate the wonders of his love for us. Alas ! to recollect 
his benefits, to thank kim for them, to feel confused at the 
sight of their own ingratitude, to excite themselves, from this 
motive, to confidence and love, to be ready to do all, to suffer 
all, for a God who has shewn them so much goodness, is a 
practice which is known but to a small number of fervent 
souls. We are all earnest in asking; but in general so 
deficient in thanksgiving, that, like the Lepers in the Gospel, 
it is to be feared not above one in ten gives due thanks to 
God for tlie blessings received. Nevertheless, nothing would 
be more pleasing to God, nor more proper to draw down 
upon us new graces. 

To facilitate, therefore, the exercise of this important 
duty, certain forms of vocal prayers have always been 
recommended, particularly such as have been used by the 
8aints, and drawn from the Divine Psalms, which are so full 
pf sublime ideas, of tender sentiments of piety, of fervent 
aspirations, of transports and raptures in God, that all the 
subjects of prayer which are suitable either to the penitent 
way, the illuminative, or the unitive wf^y, are to be met with 
therein. 

The Manual now offered to the piety of Irish Catholics 
will be found, on a diligent perusal, to Kave no small claim 
to this merit. The many editions it has gone through, the 
high esteem it is held in by interior souls, the constant 
and universal demand for it, is all we shall say in its praise. 

To render it still more acceptable and more complete, the 
present edition has be^n verj' considerably Enlarged, improved, 
and enriched with Instructions and Devotions for Confirma- 
tion ; with an Explanation pf the Latin Liturgy, and of the 
ceremonies used in the Sacrifice of the Mass, and different 
pious methods of assisting thereat ; witJi particular Devotions 
for every Day in the W eck : in short, with a great variety of 
sacred Hymns of Praise and Thanksgivings and of Spiritual 
Exercises of Fiety for several occasions, taken from the most 
approved Books of Devotion in the French and English 
languages. * 



• See the Supplement to this Book, 



( 5 ) 



FEASTS AXD FASTS THROUGHOUT 
THE YEAB. 



Eoly-days on which there is a strict obligation to hsar Mass 
and refrain from servile works. 



ALL Sundays in the Year^ I 
The Feast of the Circumci- ; 

sionof our Lord, 1st. Jan. 
The Epiphany, tjth Jan. 
The Feast of St. Patrick, 

17th March. 
The Annunciation, 25th 

IVfarch. 

IMonday in Easter and 

Whitsun Weeks. 
Ascension of our Lord. 

[Th« obligation is taken away on all other days, by 
decree of Pope Pius VI, March 29, 1778.} 

Fasting Days on one Meai, 



Corpus Christi. 
Nati\'ity of St. John Baptist^ 

24tli June. 
St. Peter and St. Paul, 29tb 
June. 

Assumption of the B. V. M* 

15th August. 
Feast of All Saints, 1st Nov. 
Nativity of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, 25th Dec. 



All the Days in Lent, except 

Sundays. 
The Eve of Whitsuntide. 
The Quarter- Tenses, or 

Ember- Days, that occur 

in the four Seasons of the 

Year. 

The Eve of St. John Baptist, 



And of St. Peter and St, 
Paul. 

The Vigil of the Assumption 

of the B. V. Mary, and of 

All Saints. 
The Wednesdays and Fridays 

in Advent, and Christmas 

Eve. 



Days of Abstinence from Flesh Meat. 



St. Mark's Day, unless it falls 
in Easter Week, or on a 
Sunday. 



All the Sundays in L^ent. 
All the Fridays and Saturdays 

throughout the Year. 
The three Rogation Days 

before Ascension, and 

N. B. That Eggs are forbidden on Fridays, when a 
Fast falls upon tliem ; and if a Fasting Day falls on a 

Sunday, the Fa«t is kept on the Saturday before. If 

Christmas- Dajr faUs upon a Fritiay or Saturday, it is neither 
Fast nor Abstinence, 

A 3 



6 



Plenary Indulgences. 



N. B, The CaUro'Iic Church commands all her children 
to be present at the great Eucharistic Sacrifice, hich we call 
the ISlass, and to rest from servile work on Sundays and 
Holy-days. 2clly, To abstain from flesh on all the clays of 
fasting and abstinence, and on fasting days to eat but one 
meal. 3d]y, To confess their sin* to their pastors at least 
once a year. 4thly, To receive the blessed Sacrament at 
least once a year, and that at Easter, viz* between Paint, and 
jLow Sundays. 

llie time appointed in the Arch-diocese of Dublin 
for complying with the Easter Duty begins on Ash Wednes- 
day, and terminates on Ascension Day. lliey who, without 
some reasonable cause, neglect this important duty, are liable 
to be excommunicated whilst living, and when they die, to 
be de])rived of Christian burial, according to the fourth 
council of Lateran, can. 21. 

Plenary iNnuLCENCEs are granted to the faithful of this 
kingdom by complying with tlie usual conditions; — on the 
feast of St. Patrick, or any day within the octave. Item, 
on the feast of St. Peter and I'aul, or any day widiin the 
octave. Item, at the hour of death, to sucli as devoutly invoke 
the sa4?red name of Jesus, at least with tlk) heart — The 
other Indulgences, which are granted to the faithful of the 
diocese of Dublin on the Feasts of tin? Nativity of our Lord, 
the Circumcision, the Epiphany, the Resurrection, the As- 
cension, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, and on the five principal 
festivals of the Blessed Virgin, and the feast of All Saints, 
&c. are commonly published from the altars. 

Kole. By an Indulgence is meant a relaxation or remis- 
sion of the temporal punishment due lo sins already forgiven, 
both as to the guilt and eternal punishment. Some Indul- 
gences are called plenary^ because, when the full effect of 
them is gained, they remit all the debt of temporal punish- 
ment : oihers are called yarlml — for example, an Indul- 
gence of forty or an hundred days, or of three, seven, ten, 
fifteen, or more years ; because tlie penitent is only thereby 
released in pai*t, or from such a proportion oF the debt of 
temporal punishment as was formerly enjoined by the peni- 
tential canons, according to the enormity of the crimes com- 
mitted, and as would have been remitted by God, had the 



Plenary Indulgences. 7 



penitent undergone, for such a space of time, the severe 
canonical penances wliich were in use in the Church until 
the twelfth century. 

The direct and immediate effect, therefore, of an Indul- 
gence is, to remit the debt of temporal punishment, and not 
to pardon or remit sin, as it supposes sin already forgiven. 
But the sinner's repentance being seldom so perfect, as to 
release him entirely from the whole punishment he deserves 
on account of the injury he has committed against the 
Divine Majesty, there usually remains some debt of temporal 
punishment to be discharged, eitiier in this world or in the 
next. For though the mercy of God is moved, by a true 
repentance, to pardon the guilt and eternal punishment due 
in Hell for mortal sin, yet his justice often substitutes iii 
its place and reserves some debt of temporal punishment, to 
which the repenting sinner is liable on account of his past 
sins, as appears evidently from several remarkable instances 
recorded in holy writ, particulai'ly Adam, King David, 
Manasses, the Israelites, &c. 



It is to discharge and cancel this debt of temporal punish- 
ment that works of penance are enjoined in the sacred tribunal 
of Coilfession ; and that the Catholic Church, like a compas- 
sionate and indulgent mother, opens her spiritual ti'easures 
from time to time to supply the wants and make up the 
deficiencies of her children. In virtue of the power given to 
her by Jesus Christ, and in imitation of St, Paul, (2 Cor. x.) 
and several other renowned doctors and pastors who flourished 
in the purest ages of Christianity, she grants Indulgences to 
such of the faitliful as are properly disposed, and apply with 
fervour to those works of piety and religion, charity and 
penance, that are required on their part, as conditioub 
necessarj- to gain the benefit of an Indulgence. 



A 4 



( 8 ) 



TABLE OF MOVEABLE FEASTS. 



Easter 

Sunday 







Ash' 


Yaar 


Wednes 




^' 


day. 


1823 


E 


Feb. 12 


1824 


DC 


Mar. 4 


ia25 


A 


Feb. 16 


1826 


B 


Feb. 8 


1827 




Feb. 28 


1828 


FE 


Feb. 13 


1829 


D 


Mar. 4 


1830 


C 


Feb. 24 


1831 


B 


Feb. 16 


1832 


AG Mar. 7 


1835 


F 


Feb. 20 


1834 


E 


1 Feb. 12 


1835 


D 


iMar. 4 


'3 836 


CBlFeb, 17 


1887 


A 


tFeb. 8 


1838 


G 


'[Feb, 28 


18S£ 


F 


[Feb. IS 



Akcen' 



Mar. 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Mar. 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Apr, 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Mar, 
Apr. 
Apr. 
Mar, 
Apr. 
Mar 



nay. 



WhiU 

Sunday 



IstSund' 

of 
Advent* 



May S MaylsjNov. 30 
May 27 June*6^Nov. US 
May 12 May 22, Nov. 27 
May 4|Mayl4|Dec. 3 
May24:June SDec. 2 
Mayl5|May25jNov. 30 
May 28 June TtNov. 20 
MaySO.Nov. 28 
May 12 May 22iNov. 

JuneloiDec. 2 
May26|Dec. 
Mayl8:NoT. 30 
June 7iNov. 29 
27 
3 
5 



May 31 
May 16 
May 8 
May 28 

May 12' May 22 Not. 
r.26|May 4,Mayl4|Dec. 
15'Mav24'Jun€ 3,Dec. 



.3llMay 9Mayl9Deo, I 



( 9 ) 



JANUARY hath XXXI Davs. 



1 

S 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 

13 
14 
lb 
16 
17 
I 

19 

i{j 
^1 
^2 
23 

2-1 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
JO 
131 



CtHCUMCiSlON of our LOUD. 
Octave of S. Stepheo. 

In the Dioc, of Limer, S. Munchin Bishop* 
Octave of St. John, Ap. and Evang* 
Octave of Holy Innocents, 
S. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. 
EPiPHANY of our LORD. 
S. Kenligernay Widow, 
S. Albert, Bishop of CasheL 
Finariy Bishop of Lindisfarne^ 

S. Hii^inus, Pope and Martyr. 

* The Feast of the nnost Holy name of JESUS, 
ii. Sunday after Epiphany. 

S. Hilary, Bishop, and S. Felix, Priest and Mart. 
S. Paul, the first Hermit, and S. Maurus, Abb, 
S. Fursey, Abbot, S. Marcellus, P. and M. 
,S. Anthony, Abbot. 
Chair of S. Peter at Rome. 

S. Canute, King and Mart, and SS. Maurius, 
Martha, Atidifacis, and Abackum, Martyrs. 

SS. Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs. 

S. A^nes, Virgin and Martyr. 

SS. Vincent and Anastatius, Martyrs. 

Desponsation B. V. M. and S. Emerentiana, Vir- 
gin and Martyr. 

S. Timothy, Bishop and Martyr. 

Conversion of S. Paul the Apostle. 

S. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr. 

S. John Chrysostom, Bishop and ConfesBor. 

S. Agnes's Commemoration. 

S. F'ranci- de Sales, Bishop and Confessor. 

S. ?vlartina, Virgin and M. (S. Amnichad, Conf) 

iS. Peter Nolasco, Abbot. {S. Aidan, B of Ferms.) 



AS 



( 10 ) 



FEBRUARY liath XXVIII Days. 



i2 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
'20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 



S. Briget, Virgin. (25. Ignatius, Bishop and M.) 
Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
S. Blase, Bishop and Mart. 
4S. Andrew Corsini, Bishop and Conf. 
5S. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. 
S. Dorothy, Virgin and Martyr. 
In D. ArdagK S. Mel. Bishop. 
7S. Rontiuald, Abbot. (S. Malon, Bishop.) 
8 S.John of Matha, Confessor. 
9S. Apollonia, Virgin and Mart. S. Cairecka,Virg, 
lOS. Scholastica, Virgin. 

lis. Raymond of Pennafort, Conf. (S. Elchen^ B 
of Cluninfoda,) 
S, Sedulius, Bishop of Dublin, 
S, Alodomnoc, Bishop. 
S. Valentine, Priest and Martyr. 
SS. Faustiniis and Jovita, Martyrs. 
S. Tanco, Bishop and Martijr, 
S. Finton^ Abbot, 
S. Simeon, Bishop and Martyr, 



The Chair of S. Peter at Antioch. 
S. Matthias, Apostle. 



In Leap Years, Febrnary hath 29 Days, and S. 
Matthias IS "kept the 25th. 



( 11 ) 



MARCH hath XXXI Days, 



i). MonenniuSf Bishop of Cluainferla-BreTidai, 



S. Cafeimirus, Conf, and S. Lucius, Pope and M 
S. KSarariy Bishop and Conf, 
S, Fridoliriy Conf, S. CairprCy Bishop, 
S. Thomas of Aquino, Doctor and Conf. and 

SS. Perpetua and Felicitas, MM. 
S. Cataldus, Bishop and Confessor, ( S, Sennan 

Bishop,) S. John of God, Confessor. 
S. Frances, Widow. 

SS.FortyMarts. of Sebaste. (S. Fir sidlus Bishop,) 
S. ^ngus. Abbot of Tamlachty near Dublin. 
S. Gregory, Pope, Confessor and Doctor. 

The Feast of the Seven Dolours of the B, 
Virgin Mary, Friday after Passion Sunday 



8 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 

14 
15 
16 

17 S. PATRICK, Bishop and Conf. Ap. of Ireland. 
18,S. Frigidian, Bishop and Conf 
1 9,S. Joseph, Confessor. 
"iO'S, Cuthbert, Bishop and Confessor, 
21 S. Benedict, Abbot, Founder of the Benedictines. 
i22 
23 

24 S. Cairlain, Bishop of Armagh 

25 ANNUNCIATION of the B. Virgin MAPtY. 

26| 

27 S. Rupert^ Bishop and Conf 
28j 

291 

30 S, Fergus, Bishop of Drum-kth-ghss, 
31i 



( 12 ) 



APRIL hath XXX Days, 



*lS. Francis of Paula, Confessor. 



S. Isidofe, Bishop and Confr (S. Tigcrnach^ 

Bishop.) 
S. Vincent Ferrer, Conf. 

S. Ceksline^ Pope and Conf, S.CathubiuSy Abbot, 
S. ( e/sus, Bishop of Armagh, 
S, Kensalud^ Abbot of Bencher^ 



S. Leo, Pope, Doctor, and Conf, 



18 
19 
20 

22 
23 
21 



4 

5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 

S. Hermenegild, Martyr. 
14[SS. Tibertius, Valerian, aad Maximus, MM. 
IbS, Rundharrij Bishop, 

16 S» TegaliuSy Bislwp, 

17 S. Anicelus, Pope and Martyr! 
5. Leochadius^ Abbot, 

S, Laferian, Bishop of Ltighlin, 



S. Anselenr),Bis}iopand Conf. {S,BerachuB,Abhot} 
SS. Soter and Caius, Popes and Martyrs, 
S.George, Martyr. (S,Ibar^ Bishop.) 
S. Fide1ij», Martyr. 
IbS, Mark, Evangelist. 

26 SS. Chius afid Marcellinus, Popes and MM. 

27 S, Astcus, first Bishop of Elphin, 

S. Vitalis, Martyr. (S^Cronan, AbhotJ 
29 S.Peter, Martyr. (S, Fichanay Conf) 
30S. (Catherine of Sienna, Virgin. 

* Patronage of S. Joseph, iii. Sunday after 
Easter. ^ 



( 13 ) 



IVIAY hath XXXI Days. 



1 SS. Philip and James, Aposiles. {iSMliaii, Abbot) 

2 S. Athanasius, Bishop and CoqL 

3 Finding of the Holy Cross. 
In D, Kildare, S. Conleathf B. and C. 

4]S. Monica, Widow. 

5 S, Pius, Pop* and Cotif. 

6 S. John, before the Latin Gate* 

7 S. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, 

8 Apparition of St. Mvchael, ArchangeL 
hidratht, Martijr, 

S. Gregory Nagianzen, Bishop and Conf. 
lOjS. Comgaliy Abbot. (S. Antonins, Bishop and Con 
and SS. Gordian and EpimackiSy JVIM.)- 



24 

27 



SS. Nereus and AchilleuSy Martyrs,. 

S. Boniface, M. { In D. Lismore, S. Cartkag, B.) 
S. Sympna, Virgin S^' Mar, and S. Gonehrardy M. 
S. Ubain, B. C. and S. John Nepomucen, Mart. 

S Brendan^ Abbot. 
S. MaWy Confessor^ 
18 S. Venantius, Martyr. 

l^S. Peter Celestine, Pope and Confe&sor, and S, 

Fudentiana, Virgin. 
20lS. Bernardin of Si en aa, Gon-f, 



>S. Mac-Cartin, Bishop of Clogherr 
S. Greg. VII. Pope and C. and S. Urban, P. & M. 
S.Philip Nierius,Conf. and S.Eleuihenus, P. & M 
S. Mury Mag. of Pazzis, Virgin, and S. John, 'P. 
28| [and M 

29 

30 ^. Felix, Pope and M. ( S. Maguil, Conf.) 
3l|«S. Ptftronilla, Virgin, 



( 14 ) 



JUNE hath XXX Days. 



1 

SS. Marcellinus and Peter, MM 
S. Coemgen, Bishop of Giandelock, 
S, Pelrocus, Conf, SS, Breaca 4' Buriana^ VV. 

. Norbert, Bishop and Conf. ( S» Coca^ Virg.J 
S. Coiman, Bishop of Dror.iore, 

8 .S^. Syra, Virgin, S. Bronius, Bishop Cuil-ira. 

9 S. Columb'killey Abbot. (SS. Primus and Feii 
cian, MM.) 

10 S, Margaret, Queen of Scotland. 

1 1 S. Barnabas, Apostle. (S. MectaluSy Bishop.) 

12 S. John of Sahagun, Conf. and SS. Basilides 
Cyrinus, &c. MM 

S. Anthony of Padua, Con. ( S.Macnisius^ Abbot.^ 
S. Basil the Great, Bishop and Conf. 
SS. Vitus, Crescentia, and Modestus, MM, 



13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 



20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
i7 
28 
29 
30 



SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, MM. 
S. Juliana Falconeri, Virg. and SS. Gervasius and 

Protasius, MM. 
S. Silverius, Pope and Mart. (S. Gobain, Virg.) 

S. Paulinus, Bishop and Conf. 

Vi-il. Fast 
NATIVITY OF S.JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

SS. John and Paul, Martyrs* 

S. Leo, Pope and Conf. 
SS. PETE LI and PAUL, Apostles. 
Commemoration of S. Paul. 



( 15 ) 

JULY hath XXXI Days. 



1 Octave of S. John Baptist, (S. Cumian Bishop.) 

2 Visitation of the B.V.M. and SS. Processus and 

Martioian, MM. 

3 S. Rumond, Bishop & Martyr. S. Killen, Abbot 
4S. Finbar, Abbot. 
dS. Modwena, Virg. 

6 Octave of SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles. 
7 

8S. Kilian, Bishop and Mart. 

S. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal. 
9SS. Martyrs of Gorcom. 
10 SS. Seven Brethren, and Rufina & Secunda, MM. 
IIS. Pius, Pope and Mart. (S, Drostan, Abbot.) 
12 S.John Guabert, Abbot, and SS. Nabor and 
Felix, MM. 

13 S. Aiiacleius, Pope and Martyr. 

14 S. Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor. (S. Idus, Bish.) 
15 S. Henry, Emp. and Conf. 

16 Commemoration of B.V.M. of Mount Carmel. 
S. Alexius, Conf. (S. Turnin, Conf.) 

18 S.Camillus de Lellis, & SS.Symphorosa, &c. MM 

19 S. Vincent a Paulo, Conf. 

20S. Jerom iEmiliani, Conf. and S. Margaret, Vir- 
gin and Martyr. 
S. Paxedes, Viri^in. (S. Arhogastus, Bishop.) 
S. Mary Magdalen. (S.Dabius, Conf.) 
23 S. Apollinaris, B. and M. and S. Liborius, B.C. 
24 S. Christina, V. and M. (S. Declan, Bishop.) 
25 S. James, Apostle, and S. Christopher, M. 
Wis. Ann, Mother of B.V. Mary. 

S. Panialeon, Martyr. (S. Congal, Abbot.) 
28|SS. Nazarius, Celsus, and Victor, MM. and S. In- 
nocent, Pope and Conf. 
29jS, Martha,V. and SS. Felix, Simplicius, &c. MM. 
30|SS. Abdon and Seunen, MM. 
31 IS. ignaliiis, Conf. 



21 
122 



( 16 ) 



AUGUST hath XXXI Days. 



Peier's Chains, and 8S, Macabees, MM. 



S. Sleplien, Pope and Mart. (S. Chrocan.) 
Finding of St. Stephen'? Relics* 
4S, Dominkk, Conf. (S. Launus, Abbot.) 
Dedication of B. Mary ad Nives, 
Transfiguration of our Lord, and SS. Xystus, 

Pope Felicissimus, &c. MM. 
S. Cajetan, C. and S. Donaias, Mart, 
SS. Cyriacus, Largus, <fec. MM, 
S. Romanus, Mart (S. Nathy, Priest; and S. 

Fedliraid, B. and C.) 
S. Leurervcey Mart. (S^Blaan, Bishop.) 
SS. Tiburtius and Susanna, MM. 
S. Clare, Virgin. (S. Murdach, Bishop.) 
SS. Hippolitas and Cassia n us, MM. 
S. Eusebius, Conf. S. Fachanan, Abbot, 

Vigil, :.Fast. 
ASSUMPTION of tb6 B.V.MARY, 
S. Hyacinthus> Conf. # 
Octave of Str Laurence. 
S. Agapelus, Martyr. (S, Degha, Bishop.) 
* S. Joachim, on Sunday within th« Octave of 
the Assump. 
S. Bernard, Abbot. 
S. Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow, 
Oct. of the Assump, and SS. Timothy, &c. MM. 
23S. Philip Bonitius, Conf. (S. Eugenius, Bishop.) 
S. Bartholomew, Apostle. 
S. Le^^is, King of France, Conf, 
S. Zepherinus, Pope, M. 
S. Joseph Calasanctiusy Conf. 
j^SS. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor, and 

S. Hermes, M 
29 Beheading of S. John Baptist, and S. Sabina. M. 
3o!s Fiacre, Conf. and SS, Felix & Adaucius, MM.. 
3ljS. Ravmund Nonnatus, Conf. (S. Ardan.Bishop.)[ 



( 17 ) 



SEPTEMBER hath XXX DaTs. 



1 S. Rose, V. and SS. Twelve Brothers, MM. 

2 S. Stephen, Kini^ and Conf. 

3 S. Macnisius, Bishop. 

4 S. Ultan, Bishop. 
5.S. Laurence Justinian, Bishop. (S. Alto, Abbot.) 

6 S. Pega, Virg. and S. Macciilindus, Bish. of Lusk 

7 S. Grimonia, Virg. and M. and S. Ennau, Bishop. 

8 Nativity of the B. V.Mary, and S. Adrian, M. 
* The Holy name of the B. V. Mary, Sun 

day without the Octave. 
Gorgonius, Mart. (S. Kiaran, Abbot.) 
S. Nicholas of Tolentine, Conf. <S. Finian, B.) 
SS. Protus and Hyacinthus, MM. 
S, Albeus, Bishop. S. Sigenius, Abbot. 



Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 
Octave of the B. V. Mary, and S, Nicomedes, M. 
SS. Cornelius and Cypriarr, Bishops, MM, & SS 

T^uphemia, Lucia, and Geminiani, MM, 
The Holy Stigmas of St. Francis. 
Joseph of Cunpertino, Conf. 
19]SS. Januarius, Bishop, and Compamoris, MM. 
SS. Eustachius and CompaHrons, MM. 
S. Matthew, Apostle. 
^2[S. Thomas of Villanova, Conf. and S. Maurice 
and Companions, MM. 

23 S. Linus, Pope, M. and S. Thecla, Virg, and M. 

24 Festival of the B. V. Mary de Mercede. 
2.5 S. Firbar, Bishop of Cork. 

26 SS. Cyprian and Justina, MM. 

27 SS. Col mas aad Damian, MM, 
^38 S. VVenceslaus, Duke and M. 

Dedication of S.Michael, Archangel, 
sol's. Jerome, Prieat, Conf. and Doctor. 



( 18 ) 



OCTOBER hath XXXI Days. 



1 
2 

4 

5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 



* Hosary of B. Mary, on the 1st Sunday of 
October. 

S. Reniigius, Bishop and Conf. (S. Ordan, Conf.) 
Holy Angels Guardians. 

S. Francis of Assisium, Conf. 

SS. Placidus and Companions, MM, 

S. Bruno, Conf. 

S. Mark, Pope, and SS. S^rgius, &:c. MM. 

S. Bridget, Widow, (S. Corcra, Abbot.) 

SS. Dionysius, Rusticus, kc, MM. 

S. Francis Borgia, Conf. 

S. Cancius, Abbot. 

S. Mobbius, Abbot of Glasnaidh- 

S. Edward, King, and C. S Cohnan, M. 

S. CaHstus, Pope and Martyr. 

S. Teresa, Virgin. 

S. Gall, Abbot, and S. Cyra, Abbess. 

S. Hedwiges, Widow. 

S. Luke, Evangelist, 

S. Peter of Alcantara, Conf. 

S. John Cantius, Conf. (S. Aidan, Bishop.) 

S. Hilarion, Abbot, and SS. Ursula & Com. MM. 

S. Donatus, Bishop and Conf. 



SS. Chrysanthus and Daria, MM. 

S. Evaistus, Pope and Martyr. 

S. Abban, Abbot, and S. Odran, Bishop. 

S. Simon and Jude, Apostles, 

S. Cohnan, Bishop and Confessor. 

S. Foilan, Martyr. —Vigil. Fast. 

* Feast of the Dedication of the Churches of 
Ireland, ii. Sunday of October. 



( 19 ) 

NOVEMBER hath XXX Days. 



The FEAS r of ALL SALNTS. 
Commerrioration of all Souls (S. Ere, B.of SIane.)< 
S, Malachy, Bishop of Annagh, 
3. Charles Borromeo, Bishop and Conf. and SS, 
Vitalis and Agricola> MM. 



Octave of all Saints, and the Four Crowned Bro 
thers, MM. 

The Dedication of our Saviour's Church, and S 
Theodorus, M. 

10 S. Andrew AvelHna, Conf. SS. Triphon, &C.MM 

11 S. Martin, Bishop and Conf. S. Mennas, M 

12 -S. Livin, Bishop & Mart. (S.Martin, Pope & M.) 

13 S.Didaciis, Conf. (S. Challin, Priest.) 

14 S. Laurence, Bishop of Dubhn 

15 S. Gertrude, Virgin. 
16 

17 S. Gregory Thaumaturgus, B. and C. 

S. Duloch, Conf 
J 8 Dedication of the Churches of SS. Peter 8c Paul 

19 S. Eh'zabeth, AVidow, S. Pontain, Pope and M. 

20 S. Felix of Valois, Conf. 

21 Presentation of the B.V. Mary. 
22 S. Cecily, V^irgin and Martyr. 

23 S. Clement, Pope and M. and S. Felicitas, M. 
*Z4 S, Columban, Abbot, S. John of the Cross, Conf. 
and S. Chrysologus, M. 

25 S. Catherine, Virgin and Mart* 

26 S. Peier of Alexandria, Bishop and Mart. 

27 S.Virgil, Bishop and Conf. and S. Secundin, Bish. 
28 

29 S. Saturnius, Martyr, 

30 S. Andrew, Apostle. (S. Brendan of Birr, Abbot.) 



( 20 ) 



DECEMBER hatli XXXI Days. 



S. Eloy, Bisliop and Conf. 

S. Bibiana, Virgin and Mart. 

S. Francis Xavier, Confessor. 

S. Peter, Chrysologus, Bishop and Conf. and S. 

Barbara, V. and M. 
S. Sabbas, Abbot. 
S. Nicholas, Bishop and Conf. 
S. Annbrose, Bishop, Conf. and Doct. 
Conception of the B. V. Mary, 

S. Melchiades, Pope and Mart. 
S.Damascus, Pope and Conf. 
S. Fintan, Bishop, and S. Colum. Ab. 
S. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr. 
SS. Fingar and Companions, MM* 
Octave of the Conception of the B.V. Mary. 
S. Eusebius, Bishop and Mart. (S. Beanus, 
Bishop. 

Expectation of the B.V.Mary. (S.Flannan, Bish.) 
S. Samthana, Virgin. 

S. Thomas, Apostle. 



Vigil. Fast. 
NATIVITY of our LORD. 
S. Stephen, first Martyr. (S. Comman, Abbot.) 
S.John, Apostle and Evangelist. 
Holy Innocents. 
29 S Thomas, Bishop of Canterbury, Mart. 
30 

31 S. Silvester, Pope and Conf. 



( 21 ) 

MORNING PRAYER. 



MORNING PRAYER is a duty ^vhieh God requires 
as the first fruits of the day : most reh'giously then 
should it be consecrated to him. The success of our actions 
for tlie rest of the day depends in a great measure upon this 
first duty. To begin the day without imploring God's grace, 
and thanking him sincerely for the reposp of the night, is 
certainly to expose ourselves to infinite danger. 

But, before prayer, recollect yourself a moment; think 
what you are yourself, and vhat God is, to whom you 
are going to speak. You will thus conceive the importance 
of tlie action, and the sentiments of humility, of regret for 
your faults, of attention, respect, and modesty, of fervour, 
love, and confidence, with which you should address him. 

Awaking in the Morning, say, 

0 MY God, my only good, the author ofmy 
being, and my last end, 1 offer thee my heart. 
Praise, honour, and glory be to thee^ for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

At Up-rising say. 

>^ In the name of the Father, 4* of the 
Son, >J< and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

1 will arise from this bed of sleep to adore 
my God, and to labour for die salvation of my 
souL O ! may I rise on the last day to. life 
everlastiuor I 

While clothing yourself say, 

O MY God, clothe my soul with the nuptial 
robe of charity, and grant that 1 may carry U 
pure and undeliled before thy judgmeut seaU > 



22 



Morning Prayer* 



Wlien clothed, kneel down, and say, 

4* IN the name of the Father, &c. Amen, 
Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, 
now and for evermore. Amen. Come, O Holy 
Ghost, take possession of my heart, and enkin- 
dle therein the jSre of thy divine love. Amen. 

Attend seriously to the presence of God ; return him thanks 
for his benefits; and offer yourself to him without 
reserve. 

O ETERNAL GOD! most holy and 
adorable Trinity ! Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost; the beginning and end of all things; 
in whom we live, move, and have our beinsf ; I 
firmly believe that thou art here present ; 1 adore 
thee with the most profound humility ; I praise 
thee ; I give thee thanks from the bottom of my 
heart, for having created me after thine own 
image and hkeness, and redeemed me with the 
precious blood of thy Son ; for having hitherto 
preserved me, and brought me safe to the begin- 
ning of this day. Behold, O Lord, I offer thee my 
whole being, and in particular all my thoughts, 
words, and actions, together with such crosses 
and contradictions as 1 may meet with in the 
course of the day. I consecrate them entirely 
to the glory of thy name, in union w^lh those 
of Jesus Christ my Saviour, that, through his 
infinite merits, they may find acceptance in thy 
sight. Give them, O Lord, thy blessing. May 
thy divine love animate them ; and may they 
all tend to the greater honour of thy Sovereign 
Majesty. Amen. 



Morning Prayer. 



23 



Resolve to avoid evil and to do good, 

ADORABLE JESUS] Divine Model of 
that perfection to which all Christians should 
aspire ; I will endeavour this day, after thy 
example, to be mild, humble, chaste, zealous, 
patient, charitable, and resigned. Incline my 
heart, O Lord, to keep thy commandments. I 
am resolved to watch over myself with the 
greatest diligence and circumspection, and to 
live soberly, justly, and piously, for the time 
to come, 1 will place a guard on my mouth, 
and a gate of prudence before my lips, that I 
may not offend with my tongue. 1 will turn 
away my eyes, that they may not see vanity ; 
and I will be particularly attentive not to 
relapse into my accustomed failings, but will 
struggle against them, and, with thy gracious 
assistance correct them. Enlighten my mind, 
O Lord; purify my heart and guide my steps, 
that I may pass this and the remaining days of 
my life in thy divine service. Amen. 

Implore the necessary Graces, 

I THOU knowest, O God, my weakness ; 
thou knowest that I am so poor and destitute 
that I cannot do, or even think of any good, 
without thy assistance ; arise, therefore, to 
my help, and strengthen me with thy grace, 
that I may fervently execute what I have firmly 
resolved, and not only avoid all the evil thou 

^ forbiddest, but also perform all the good thou 

, Jpommandest, 



24 Morning Prayer^ 

The Lord's Prayer. 

OUR Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed 
be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy 
will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread ; and forgive 
us our trespasses, as we forgive them that 
trespass against us. And lead us not into I 
temptation ; but deliver us from evil. Amen, 
The Angelical Salulalion. 

HAIL Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with ^ 
thee ; blessed art thou amongst wou)en, i 
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sin- j 
iiers, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. 
The Apostles' Q eecL 

I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty, « 
creator of Heaven and earth. And m 
Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who 
was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of th^i 
Virgin Mary; suflered under Pontius I^ilate^ 
was crucified, dead, and buried : he descended 
into Hell ; the third d^iy he rose again from the 
dead; he asgended ipto Heaven, and 5^itteth atl 
the right hand of God the Father Ahnighty 
from thence he shall come to judge thelivingi 
and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; 
the Holy Catholic Church ; the communion of* 
saints ; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrec- 
tion of the fiesh ; and life everlasting. Amen, i 
The Confileor* ' 

I CO^iFESS to Almighty God, to blessed, j 
Mary ever a Virgin, to blessed Michael the' ' 
Archangel J to blessed John the Baptist, to the' 



Morning Prayer. 

holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the 
Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly, in 
thought, word, and deed, Through mi/ faulty 
through mij faulty through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore, 1 beseech the blessed Mary 
ever a Virgin, the blessed Michael the Arch- 
angel, the blessed John the Baptist, the Holy 
Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints^ to 
pray to the Lord our God for me. 

May Almighty God have mercy on me, for- 
give me my sins, and bring me to everlasting 
life. Amen. 

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant: 
me pardon, absolution, and remission of all 
my sins. Amen. 

Invoke the Blessed Virgin, your Angel Guardian, and 
your Patron Saint. 

O HOLY VIRGIN! Mother of God! mjr 
Advocate and Patroness ! pray for thy poor 
, servant ; prove thyself a mother to me. And 
f ; thou, O Blessed Spirit! my Guardian Angel, 
\ whom God in his mercy hath appointed ta 
t J watch over me, intercede for me this day, that 
. . 1 may not stray from the paths of virtue. Our 
, glorious Apostle, St. Patrick; and thou also, O 
happy Saint, whose name I bear, pray for me, 
. ; that 1 may serve God faithfully in this life, as 
^ thou hast done, and, with thee, glorify hinx 
eternallv in Heaven, Ainen. 



26 3Ior7iing Prayer. 



I!\DULGENCES 

To be obtained by the Faithful who devoutly repeat Acte of 
Faith, Hope, and Charity. 

A PLENARY INDULGENCE once a month, obtained 
by those who repeat Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, 
devoutly, once every day, and who, on any day of that 
month, shall confess and receive the holy Communion, 
and pray for peace and concord among christian princes, 
for the extirpation of heresy, and the exaltation of the 
Catholic Church ; granted by Pope Benedict XIII, the 
25th of January, 1728, and confirmed by Pope Benedict 
XIV, the 28th of January, 1756 ; who further granted 
the application thereof for the relief 'of the souls in Purga- 
tory ; and also an Indulgence of seven years and seven 
forty- days penance, to all the faithful, as often as they 
devoutly repeat the same. Pope Clement XIV, the 5th 
of April, 1772, made this Indulgence perpetual to the 
Catholics of this kingdom, but requires an Act of Con- 
trition to be made previous to the Acts of Faith, Hope, 
and Charity. This Indulgence may be applied, also, for 
the relief of the souls in Purgatory, 

A Prayer before the Acts. 

O ALMIGHTY and Eternal God! grant 
unto U3 an increase of Faith, Hope, and 
Charity; and that we may obtain what thou 
hast promised, make us love and practise what 
thou commandest ; through Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amefi, 

I 

An Act cf Contrition. 

OMY God ! I am heartily sorry for having 
offended thee ; and I detest my sins most 
sincerely ; because they displease thee, my God, 
who art vso deserving of all my love, for thy 



Morning Prayer. 27 

infinite goodness and most amiable perfections : 
And I firmly purpose, by thy holy grace, never 
more to ofiend thee. 

An Act of Faith. 

OMY God ! I firmly believe, that thou art 
one only God, the Creator and Sovereign 
Lord of Heaven and Earth, infinitely great and 
infinitely good : I firmly believe, that in thee, 
one only God, there are three Divine Persons, 
really distinct, and equal in all things, the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost : I firmly 
believe, that Jesus Christ, God the Son, became 
Man ; thUt he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
and was born of the Virgin IMary ; that he suf- 
fered and died on a Cross to redeem and save 
us ; that he arose the third day from the dead ; 
that he ascended into Heaven ; that he will 
come at the end of the world to j adge mankind ; 
and that he will reward the good with eternal 
happiness, and condemn the wicked to the 
everlasting pains cf Hell. 1 believe these, and 
all other articles which the holy Roman 
Catholic Church proposes to our belief, because 
thou, my God, the Infallible Truth, hath re- 
vealed them ; and thou hast commanded us to 
hear the Churchy which is the Pillar and the 
Ground of Truth, In this Faith I am firmly 
resolved by thy holy grace, to live and die. 
Mat, xvii. 17. and 1 Tiin, iii. J5. 

An Act of Hope, 

OMY God, who Imst graciously promised 
every blessing, even Heaven itself, through 
Jesus Christ, to those who keep thv command- 
B 2 



28 Morning Praytr. 

itients ; relying on thy infinite power, goodness, 
and mercy ; and confiding in thy sacred pro- 
mises, to which thou art always faithful, 1 con- 
fidently hope to obtain pardon of all my sins, 
grace to serve thee faithfully in this life, and 
eternal happiness in the next : through my Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

An Act of Chanty J 
Or, an Act of the Love of God and our Neighbour » 

OMY God ! I love thee with my whole 
heart and soul, and above all things ; 
because thou art infinitely good and perfect, 
and most worthy of all my love ; and for thy 
sake, I love my neighbour as myself. Merci- 
fully grant, O my God ! that, having loved thee 
on Earth, I may love and enjoy thee for ever 
in Heaven. 



A PIOUS DEVOTION, 
Por a perpetual glorification of the MOST HOLY TRI- 
mTYy and the INCARNATION of our Blessed Re- 
deemer JESUS CHRIST, first instituted in France, 
with the approbation of Christopher Beaumont, late 
Archbishop of Paris, and confirmed by a decree of 
his Holiness Pius VI, issued the 15th of May, 1784; 
"who, in order to promote and extend the same, was 
pleased to grant an Indulgence for the City of Rome, 
and tlie faithful throughout the world, who shall volun- 
tarily associate themselves in the practice of this devotion, 
according to the intention of his Holiness, in the following 
manner : 

THREE persons, united in our Lord by the bands of 
mutual charity, are to engage themselves voluntarily 
(though without any obligation of conscience) to practice 
a religious exercise, which consists in adoring the three 
Divine Persons tluee times a day, viz* inoniing, noon, 



Mornhg Prayer* 29 

and night — reciting seven Gloria Patri, &e. and one -^ic, 
&c. each rime, to adore the Incarnation of the Eternal 
AVord, and in honour of the most holy Virgin Mother of 
God. HiGi^e prayers may be said either in common or sepa- 
rately, according to the convenience or inclinations of the 
persons associated : and, in order that these unions may be 
continued, it is necessary that the Associates should be 
mutually acquainted, that in case of a vacancy, by death or 
otherwise, the loss maybe repaired hy appointing another ; 
by which means this pious society may be perpetuated to 
tlie end of time. 



2^A6 LITANY of the Holy Name o/JESUS. 

LORD have mercy upon us. 
Christ have niercy upon us. 
Lord have mercy upon us, 
Christ hear its* 
Christ graciously hear vs. 
God the Father of Heaven, 
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity one God, 
Jesus, Son of the living God, 
Jesus, Splendour of the Father, 
Jesus, Brightness of Eternal Light, 
Jesus, King of Glory, 
Jesus, Sun of Justice, t :3 

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, 
Jesus, most amiable, 
Jesus, most adorable, 
Jesus, the mighty God, 
Jesus, Father of the VVorld to come, 
Jesus, Angel of the Great Council, 
Jesus, most powerful, 
Jesus, most patient, 
Jesus, most obedient. 



Jes 



us, 
fesus, 



30 Mornwg Prayer. 

Jesus, meek, and humble of heart, 
Jesus, Lover of Chastity, 
Jesus, Lover of Peace, 
Jesus, Lover of us, 
Jesus, Author of Life, 
Jesus, Example of Virtues^ 
Jesus, zealous lover of Souls, 
Jesus, our God, 
Jesus, our Refuge, 
Jesus, Father of the Poor, 

Treasure of the Faithful, 
good Shepherd, 
Jesus, true Light, 
Jesus, eternal Wisdom, 
Jesus, infinite Goodness, 
Jesus, the Way, the Truth, ajid the Life, 
Jesus, Joy of Angels, 
Jesus, King of Patriarchs, 
Jesus, the Inspirer of the Prophets, 
Jesus, Master of the Apostles, 
Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists, 
Jesus, Strength of Martyrs, 
Jesus, Light of Confessors, 
Jesus, Spouse of Virgins, 
Jesus, Crow^n of all Saints, 
Be merciful unto us. Spare us^ O Lord Jesus / 
Be merciful unto us. Hear usy O LordJesus ! 
From all sin, 
From thy wrath. 
From the snares of the Devil, 
From the spirit of uncleanness, 
From everlasting death, 
From the neglext of tliy holy inspira- 
tions. 



5- 

r 



^1 



Morning Prayer. SI 

Thro' the mysterj^ of thy holy incarnation^ 
Thro' thy Nativity, 
Thro' thy Divine infancy, 
Thro' thy Sacred Life, 
Thro' thy Labours, 
Thro' thy Cross and Passion, 
Thro' thy Pains and Torments, 
Ttiro' thy Death and Burial, 
Thro' thy glorious Resurrection, 
Thro' thy triumphant Ascension, 
Thro' thy Joys and Glory, 
In the Day of Judgment, 

JLamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Spare us^ O JLord Jesits ! 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Hear us ^ O Lord Jesus ! 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Haxe mercy upon us^ O Lord 
Jesus ! 

Lord Jesus, hear us! Lord Jesus, gra^ 
ciously hear us ! 

OLORD Jesus Christ, who hast said, asl^^ 
and ye shall receive ; seeky and ye shall 
Jind ; knocky and it shall be opened unto you ; 
mercifuUy attend to our supplications, and grant 
us the gift of divine charity, that we may ever 
love thee with our whole hearts, and never cease 
from praising thy holy name ; who liveth and 
reigneth one God without end. Amen. 

^ The Salve Regina, 

HAIL to the Queen who reigns above, 
Mother of clemency and love; 
Hail thou, our hope, lite, sweetness ; we^ 
Eve's banished children^ cry to thee. 



32 Morning Praijer. 

We, from this wretched vale of tears, 
Send sighs and groans unto thy ears ; 
O then, sweet Advocate ! bestow 
A pitying look on us below. 

After this exile let us see 
Our blessed Jesus born of thee. 
O merciful, O pious Maid, 
O gracious Mai7, lend thy aid. 

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God ; 

jR. That we may be made worthy of the 
J)romises of Christ. 

JLet us Pray. 

O Almighty and Eternal God! who didst 
prepare the body and soul of the glorious 
Mary, Mother and Virgin, that by the co- 
operation of the Holy Ghost she might become 
a worthy dwelling for thy Son ; grant, that, as 
•we rejoice in her commemoration, so by her 
pious intercession, we may be delivered both 
from present evils and everlasting death: 
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

The Angelas Dominic 

jTo be said morning, noon, and night, in memory of the 
adorable mystery of the Incarnation of our blessed Saviour. 

2. f I iHE Angel of the Lord declared unto 
JL Mary : And she conceived of the Holy 
Ghost. Hail, Mary, &c. 

2. Behold the Handmaid of the Lord : Be 
it done unto me according to thy word. Hail, 
Mary, &c. 

3. And the Word was made Flesh : And 
dwelt among U3, Hail^ Maryj &c. 



Aspirations and Ejaculatiom, 33 

Let us Pray. 

POUR forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, tliy 
grace into our hearts, that we^ to vvhoiii 
the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made 
known by the message of an Angel, may, by 
his Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory 
of his Resurrection : through the same Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

Should the duties of your state of life aflford you leisure, 
you may, after Morning Pi*ayers, recite the prayer peculiar 
to the day, which may be found amongst the Devotions 
for every Day of the Week ;" meditate also on the proper 
reflection of the day, -which may be seen aniongst the 

Pious Reri.ection<> tbr every Day iu the Month." 

ASPIRATIONS AND EJACULATIONS 

Which may be secretly repeated ia the heart, amidst tii* 
ordinary actions of the day. 

OMy God, grant ine the grace never to 
offend thee, 
O my Godj teach me to love thee with my 
whole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, 
in time, and eternity. 

Too late have I known thee, O infinite 
Goodness. 

Too late liave I loved thee, O eternal 
Beauty. 

To thee, O God! to thee alone be all 
honour, and glory, and praise, and adoration, 
for ever. 

Mortify in me, O Jesus, whatever displeaseth 
thee; and make me according to thine ovvu 
heaU. 



34 Aspirations and Ejaculatwns. 

ObleBsedJesus! give me grace to learn of tlieei 
to be meek and humble of heart, that 1 may be 
united with thee, and find rest for my soul. 

O my God. and my All! teach me in all 
things to do thy holy will. 

O Lord ! keep me from sin^ and grant me 
the grace of a happy death. 

O Fountain of all Goodness ! have mercy ori 
me. 

0 my Godj grant me the grace to perform all 
iny works with the pure intention of pleasing 
thee. 

Let the name of the Lord be blessed and 
glorified, for ever and ever. 

Glory be to the Fatlier, and to the Son, and 
to the Holy Ghost. 

From the rising of the sun unto the going 
down of the same, the name of the Lord is 
worthy of praise. 

1 will bless the Lord at all times ; his praise 
shall ever be in my mouth. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and let all that 
is within me bless his holy name. 

Thanks be to God for all his benefits. 

Praise be to thee, O Christ : blessed be thy 
holy name, O Jesus. 

O God of my heart, and my portion for ever ; 
O let nothing in life or death ever separate me 
from thee. 

O rather let me die a thousand deaths than 
offend thee mortally. 

" In all ihy works aim at perfeclion.^^ 



( 35 ) 

PRAYERS FOR NIGHT. 

^. ^ ~ 

T F it be a duty of the greatest importance to begin the day 
1 well, it is, doubtless, one of no less consequence to con* 
' elude it properly. The new graces conferred on us during 
the course of the day, and the protection we stand in need of 
against the dangers of the night, are urgent reasons why we 
should address ourselves to God, and pray to him with the 
iitmost gratitude and fervour, 

A daily examination of conscience, both in general, with 
regard to our whole conduct throughout the day, and in 
particular, with regard to a person's predominant vice, 
passion, or evil cu:>tora, and the particular virtue he wants 
to acquire, is strongly recommended by all spiritual writers, 
as one of die most important duties of a christian life, and 
the most profitable exercise we can apply ourselves to, both 
for the avoiding of sin, and the acquiring of virtue. It is a 
looking-glass, in which we see ourselves in our true colours, 
and come to the knowledge of our sins and evil inclinations. 
It is a spQiigCy by which we wipe away guilt from our souls, 
and become the more pure before God, the more diligently 
we practise it. If we do not daily weed the garden of our 
souls by this holy exercise, the coiTupt ground of the heart 
will naturally produce vices and imperfections in abundance. 

The nightly examination of conscience makes up the 
principal part of the last exercise of the day. The method 
thereof consists in the following acts, viz. of the presence of 
God, thanksgiving, supplicatioHj examen, sorrow, and 
good resolutions. 

The many signal blessings which God has bestowed, and 
does bestow, on those families where prayers are regularly 
said in comm^)n, should alone be a sufiiclent inducement to 
establish ttiis practice every where, and chiefly at night, 
when all may be assembled with greator convenience. — - 
'* IV here two or three persons .^hnll be assembled in my namet 
there saitb Christ, '* shnll I be in the midst of them-** O 
ChrittUMus, what stronger inducement can we have to procure 
so great a bapplnesi. 



36 



Praters for Night. 



IN the name of the Father, &c. Amen. 
Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, 
ever more. Amen. 

Come, O Holy Ghost, replenish the hearts of 
the faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of thy 
divine love. Amen. 

Let us place ourselves ia the presence of God, and humbly 
adore him. 

. IMPRESSED with the most lively sense of 
the presence of thy Eternal Majesty, I adore 
thee, O my God ! 1 believe in thee, because 
thou art Truth itself. I hope in thee, because 
thou art faithful to thy word. I love thee with 
my whole heart, because thou art infinitely 
amiable and worthy of my love ; and, for thy 
sake, I love my neighbour as myself. 

Let us return thanks to God for the favours he has conferred 
upon us. 

ENABLE me, O Lord, to return thee 
sufficient thanks for all thine inestimable bles- 
siui^s and favours. 

Thou hast thought of me, and loved me, 
from all eternity ; thou hast formed me from 
nothing ; thou has delivered up thy beloved 
Son to the ignominious death of the Cross for 
my redemption; thou didst preserve me from 
falling into the abyss of eternal misery, when 



Praj/ers fur Night. 37 

my sins had often provoked thee to cut the slen- 
der thread of my life, which tliou heldest in thy 
all-powerful and cha&tising hand ; and thou still 
■continuest to preserve me^ notwithstanding ! still 
continue to offend thee. Alas ! my God, what 
Tcturn can I make for the innumerable blessings 
thou hast conferred on me during the whole 
course of my life, as well as for the particular 
favours of this day. O all ye Angels and Saints ! 
imite with me in prai^iiig the God of Mercies, 
who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creatiu'e. 

Let us beg of God to make our sins knoivn to W6. 

O ETERNAL Source of Light! whosaidst 
Let there be UgJit^^^ and there was light; 
illuminatethedarknessof my understanding, and 
dispel those shades of ignorance and error whicli 
coPvCeal from me the filth and eneriruty of miiie 
offences. Discover to me, I beseecli thee, all 
the sins I have committed this day, whether in 
thought, word, deed^ or OIni^:sioii ; grant me a 
lively sense of their enormity, in order tliat I 
anay hold them in the utmost detestation, aiid 
dread nothing so much as ever to couimit ihem 
hereafter. 

Let us examine out consciences, and consider where and 
in what company we have been this day. Let us a]h\* 
call to mind the sins we have committed against God, 
our nei;?lii>our, ourselves, and reflect whether we have 
fulfilled the duties of our state of life. 

Against God : By omission or negligence in 
the disci large of our religious du^ties : irreverence 
I in the Church ; wilful distractions or inatten- 
I tion in prayer; resistance to the diviiie grace ; 
' oaths; uiuniuirings ; want of coiViidcncs ai.d 
i resrgiialiunc FaubC and t\x amine, . 



38 Praj/ers for Night. 

Against our Neighbour: By rash judg- 
ments; hatred; jealousy; contempt; desire of 
revenge ; quarrelling ; passion ; imprecations ; 
injuries; detraction; raillery; false reports; 
damaging, either in goods or reputation ; bad 
example; scandal; want of obedience, respect, 
charity, or fidelity. Pause and examine. 

Against Ourselves : By vanity; human 
respect; lies; thoughts, desires, discourses, or 
actions contrary to purity ; by intemperance, 
rage, or impatience ; by an useless and sensual 
life ; or by sloth, in not complying with the 
duties of our state. Pause and examine. 

Repeat the General Confession, " I confess,** &c, ** May 
the Almighty,'* — Page ^4. 

Prayer. 

PENETRATED with grief, and over- 
whelmed with confusion at the sight of 
my iniquities, I acknowledge myself unworthy, 
OLord, to be numbered amongst thy servants, 
much less to be accounted thy child. Is it pos- 
sible 1 could repay such infinite patience and 
goodness with so much malice and ingratitude ? 
Creator of heaven and earth ! I have sinned 
against thee! 1 have, alas ! offended thee, who art 
so good, so amiable, and so worthy of my love ! 
Yet, Lord, when I consider that 1 am the work 
of thy hands, and the price of the blood of thine 
only Son, who expired on the cross for my 
salvation, I cease to despair of thy pardon. It 
is therefore through his infinite merits that \ ^ 
implore, and hope th*ou wik grant me the for- 
giveness of uiy sins. Have pity on me^ O Eter- 



Prayers for Night. 39 

nal Father, and spare me, for the sake of thy 
beloved Son. Turn away thy face from my 
sinsj and blot out my iniquities. I am heartily 
sorry for them, because they are offensive to 
thee; and shall continue to repent sincerely of 
them to the very hour of my death. Amen. 

Let us make a firm purpose of amendment. 

O ALMIGHTY and Eternal God, I wish, 
from the bottom of my heart, that I had never 
sinned against thee ; but, since 1 have been so 
unhappy, O grant me now thy grace, that I 
may never offend thee more. Thou hast said, 
^' I will not the death of a sinner, but rather 
that he be converted and live." Convert me, 
therefore, and I shall be converted. Have 
mercy upon me, according to thy great mercy ; 
and, according to the multitude of thy tender 
mercies, blot out my iniquities." I renounce all 
sin, firmly purposing h-inceforth to walk in the 
path of thy commandments. This fixed resolu- 
tion 1 am determined to keep, with the assistance 
of thy grace, purchased for me through the infi- 
nite merits of thine only Son Christ Jesus our 
Lord. Amen. 

Repeat the Lord's Prayer, the Angelical Salutation, the 
i Creed, the Acts of the Theological Virtues, and the Angelus 
Domini, as in Morning Prayer. 

jlr/je LITANY of the BLESSED VIRGIN. 

Anthem. 

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of 
God ! Despise not our prayers in our 
necessities, but deliver us from all dangers^ O 
i thou ever glorious and blessed Vir"[in, 

i '€ 2 



40 Prayers for Night. 

LORD have mercy upon us. 
Christ have mercy upon us. 
luoxA have mercy upon us. 
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. 
God the Father of Heaven, Havemerci/ upon vs. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, Have 

mercy vpon us. 
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy upon us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy upomis. 

Holy Mary^ 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of Virgins^ 
Mother of Christ, 
Mother of divine grace. 
Most pare Mother, 
Most chaste Mother, 
Mother undefiled, 
Mother unviolated, 
!Most amiable Mother, 
Most admirable Mother, 
Mother of our Creator, 
Mother of our Redeemer, 
Most prudent Virgin, 
Most venerable V^irgin, 
Most renowned A^irgin, 
Most powerful Virgin, 
Most merciful Virgin, 
Most faithful Virgin, 
Mirror of Justice, 
Seat of Wisdom, 
Cause of our Joy, 
Spiritual Vessel, 
Honourable Vessel, 



Prayers for Night, 

Vessel of singular Devotion^ 
Mystical Rose, 
Tower of David, 
Tower of Ivory, 
House of Gold, 
Ark of the Covenant, 
Gate of Heaven, 
Morning Star, 
Health of the Weak, 
Refuge of Sinners, 
Coniforter of the Afflicted, 
Help of Christians, 
Queen of Angels, 
Queen of Patriarchs, 
Queen of Prophets, 
Queen of Apostles, 
Queen of Martyrs, 
Queen of Confessors^ 
Queen of Virgins, 
Queen of all Saints, 

Lamb of God, w^ho takest away the sins of 
the w^orld ; Spare us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world ; Graciously hear usy O LorcL 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Have mercy upon us. 

Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. 
Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy 
upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. 

Our Father, &c. 

F. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God; 
72. That we may be made worthy of the pro- 
mises of Christ. 



41 




42 Prayers for NigliL 

Prayer. 

POUR forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy 
grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the 
incarnation of Christ tliy Son hath been made 
known by the message of an angel, may, by his 
passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his 
resurrection : through the same Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Prayer. 

BLESS, O Lord, the repose T am going to 
take, that, by renewing my bodily strength, 
I may be the better enabled to serve thee. — 
O all ye Saints and Angels, but especially thou, 
O Mother of God, intercede for me, not only 
during this night and the rest of my life, but 
more particularly at the hour of ray death. 
Amen. 

Another Prayer. 

POUR down thy blessings, O Lord, on my 
parents, benefactors, friends, and on my 
enemies too, if I have any. Protect my supe- 
riors, spiritual and temporal. Help the poor and 
sick, and those that are in their last agony. 
Convert all heretics and unbelievers. O God 
of mercy and goodness ! have mercy on the souls 
of the faithful in purgatory ; put an end to their 
sufferings ; and grant to all those for whom I am 
particularly bound to pray, eternal light, rest, 
and happiness. Amen. 

Te lucis ante terminum. 

BEFORE the closing of the day. 
Creator, we thee humbly pray, 



Prayers for Night. 43 

That, for thy wonted mercy's sake, 

Thou us into protection take. 

May nothing in our minds excite 

Vain dreams and phantoms of the night: 

Our enemy repress, that so 

Our bodies no uncleanness know. 

I n this, most gracious Fath.er, hear. 

Through Christ, thy equal Son, our prayer; 

Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee, 

Doth live and reign eternally. Amen. 

"TTISIT, we beseech thee, O Lord, this ha- 

▼ bitation, and drive away from it all thQ 
snares of the enemy : Let thy holy angels dwell 
therein to preserve us in peace; and may thy 
blessing be upon us for ever : through Christ 
our Lord. Amen, 

May the divine assistance remain always 
with us. Amen, 

Before you go to bed, read a chapter in some spiritual book* 
Resolve within yourself on the subject of the next morn- 
ing's meditation, which may be found amongst the Pioua 
Reflections for every Day i*i the Month," and think upoa 
it while you are undressing. When you compose yourself 
in bed, think on your grave, and how soon death, of 
which sleep is an image, will be with you, and what your 
sentiments will then be of all worldly vanities. Offer up 
your sleep to God, submitting it with a pure intention to 
his holy will ; that, by this repose of nature, you may 
recover new vigour of mind and body to serve him. Wish 
that every breath you are to draw this night may be so 
many acts of praise and love of the Divine Majesty, like 
the happy breathings of the Angels and Saints, who never 
sleep : and so compose yourself to rest, in the arms of 
your Saviour. 

If jrou awake in the night renew the offering of yourself to 
God, saying, 

C4 



44 Prayers for Night. 

" My soul hatli desired thee in lire night." 

Isa. xxvi. 9. 

Into thy hand?, O Lord, I recommend my 
spirit I Lord Jesiis receive my soul, &c. 

SACPaFICE OF THE MASS. 

OF all the duties prescribed by our holy Reli- 
gion, the Sacrifice of the Mass is that 
which is mor4 pleasing to God, and most salutary 
to man. Here it is that Jesus Christ renews the 
ijreat mystery of our redemption : here doth 
he make himself our victim in a real, though un- 
bloody, sacrifice, and in person applieth to each of 
us the merits of that blood which, hanging on a 
cross, he was pleased to shed for mankind. This 
should give us the most sublime idea of the 
Mass, and make us desire to hear it with the 
utmost reverence and devotion ; for to assist at it 
irreverently, or without putting a proper restraint 
on our eyes and our whole exterior, is to disho- 
nour religion, and renew, as far as in us lies, the 
insults he received on Mount Calvary. To avoid, 
then, so great a^i evil, let us always come to this 
august Sacrifice \vi{h the most earnest devotion ; 
let us enter into the Spirit of Christ ; let us offer 
ourselves up with him, and as he does ; let the 
Church, as we enter it, strike us with awe ; let 
our modesty and recollection be uninterrupted 
from the be<2[innin2[ to the end thereof; let our 
hearts, thoughts, and imaginations be, as it were, 
buried in God, and the interests of our souls. 

The practical reflections (in small letter} at 
the head of each prayer, may help to excite our 
attQ<ition. 



( 45 ) 



A PRAYER before MASS. 

O Heavenly Father, who hast so 
loved the world as to bestow upon 
it thy only Son ; and thou, O ainiaijle 
Jesus, who, not content with offerings 
thyself once upon the cross as a bleed- 
ing- victim for our transgressions, conti- 
nuest to offer thyself every day in an 
unbloody manner, by the hands of thy 
ministers ; grant me now thy grace^ 
that I may with the most fervent love, 
and profound respect, be present at this 
sacrifice. Enliven my faith with a 
firm belief of thy presence ; occupy 
thou alone my mind ; remove from me 
all such thoughts and objects as may 
distract me; purify my heart from 
earthly affections ; and remember^ 
O Lord, the promise which Jesus 
Christ hath made, That lohere two 
or three should assemble in his narne^ 
there would he be in the midst of 
them : and that nothing should be re- 
'\fiised vs which we should ask in his 
name,'' Behold thy faithful servants 
here assembled : it is thy dear Son who 
prayeth in us; canst thou reject our 



46 Prayers at Mass. 

joint petition? or not discern the voice 
of him in whom, from eternity, thou 
wert pleased ? 

If leisure permit, read the Acts of Faith^ 
Hope, and Charity, page 27, &c. 



PRATERS AT MASS. 



The beginning of Mass. 

In the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen. 

IT is in thy name, O adorable Tri- 
nity ! it is to honour thee, and to do 
thee homage that I assist at this most 
holy and august Sacrifice^ Permit me 
then, O Lord, to unite my intention 
with that of thy Minister, now at the 
Altar, in offering up this precious vic- 
tim; and give me the same sentiments 
I ought to have had on Mount Calvary, 
had I been an eye-witness of that 
bloody sacrifice. 



Prayers at Mass. 47 



Ai the Confiteor. 

Think, in the bitterness of your heart, on all your 
past sins, and recollect, in a general manner, such 

. of them as are most humiliating. Lay your weak- 
nesses before God, and beg of him to pardon theui. 
Implore his assistance in ail your necessities, through 
the infinite efficacy of this gi'eat Sacrifice. 

I Confess, O my God^ not only in 
thy presence, who seest the secrets 
of hearts, but also in the presence of 
all the blessed in heaven, and faithful 
on earth, that I have often and griev- 
ously oifended thee, in thought, word^ 
and deed, through my fault, through 
my fault, through my most grievous 
fault. Yes, Lord, I have sinned : I 
acknowledge it to my shame, and with 
the most bitter regret, that 1 have un- 
gratefully abused all thy gifts ; and 
therefore I humbly beseech thee, O 
blessed Virgin Mary, and ail ye Saints 
and Angels, to intercede for me. 
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to listen to them: 
grant to the ardom' of their prayers, 
what thou mayest justly refuse to the 
coldness of mine; and to their ser- 
vices, that pardon to which niy offences 
can have no claim. 



4S 



PrayfTs at Mass. 



At Kyrie Eleison. 

Beg of x\\% Lord to sliew you mercy; and rely with 
confidence on liis infinite goodness, who, in granting 
you such powerful means of reconciliation, gives 
you at the same time a srure pledge of obtaining it. 

WERE every instant of my life, 
O Lord, employed in crying 
out to thee for mercy, yet would the 
number fa!! infinitely short of the com- 
parative mAiltitude of my offences: but 
if, after repeatedly beseeching thee to 
have mercy on me, thou shouldst ne- 
vertheless still appear to disregard my 
petition, still would I, with a more 
loud and animated voice, redouble my 
importunity, as did the woman of Cana, 
and the blind man of Jerico, saying, 
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on ine ! 
Be not therefore, O Lord, deaf to my 
prayers and supplications. I know 
tliat thou lovest to be importuned. If 
as yet thy goodness hath not induced 
thee, my perseverance shall, 1 hope, 
at length prevail on thee to grant 
me pardon. Have pity, O my Creator! 
on the work of thy hands. Grant par- 
don, O Father of Mercies! to t!iy re- 
bellious children. 



Proyers at Mass. 



49 



At the Gloria in Excekis. 

Conceive a vehement desire of promoting the glory 
of God, and your neighbour's good. Rejoice, with 
the Angels, at the share you have in these holy 
mysteries ; and form to yourself the highest idea 
<tf the majesty of God, and of his Son Jesus Clirist. 

WHO is like unto thee, O Almighty 
God ! To whom can the most 
unlimited tribute of honour, praise, and 
glory, be due, either in heaven or on 
earth, if not to thee, the King of Kings, 
the Lord of Lords, and beneficent 
Creator of the Universe? The Angels 
and Saints, with unceasing rapture^ 
sing forth thy praises and glorify thy 
name in heaven ; and shall not I, the 
\vork of t1]y hands, praise thee also on 
earth? Yes, O Lord! Graciously 
vouchsafe to accept the homage I now 
pay thee, and which I purpose fervently 
to ofi'er thee all the days of my life. 

Tke Collect, 

So called, because the Priest lays before God the 
necessities of all his people ; their vows and desires, 
collected, as it were, together ; whence-, tuniine: to 
the congrep t?ticn, he invites them to unite with him . 
in the petition, saying, Omnus^ or Let i/s Pray. 



50 Prayers at Mass. 



Prayer. 

ALMIGHTY and Eternal God, we 
humbly beseech thee to look down 
from thy heavenly sanctuary upon 
this congregation, and graciously hear 
these prayers, which thy Church ad- 
dresses to thee for us by the ministry 
of thy Priest. 

Grant us, in thy infinite mercy, par- 
don of our sins; health of mind and 
body; peace in our days; unity and 
increase of Catholic faith ; fervent cha- 
rity; sincere devotion; patience in suf- 
fering; and every thing else conducive 
to thy glory and our own salvation : 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

At the Epistle. 

Eetui'n God thanks for having called you to the 
knowledge of his holy law; submit to it with perfect 
docility ; and beg of him to extend our holy reU- 
gion over the whole world. 

O Eternal God, who never ceasest 
to excite us to the worship and 
love of thy holy name^ or to arm us 
against the attacks of the world; the 
flesh, and the devil, by the public mi- 
nistry of thy Church, by the doctrine 
of thy Prophets and Apostles^ and by 



Prayers at Mass. 51 

many other holy admonitions; grant 
we may faithfully attend to these lessons 
of salvation, that thus our knowledge 
of thy law may never rise in judgment 
against us, but guide us securely to 
thee: through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

At the GospeL 

Look on the Gospel as the rule of your faith and 
morals — a rule wliich Christ himself has drawn 
up ; a rule which you have solemnly promised by 
your Baptism to follow, and by which you shall 
most certainly be judged. 

IT is not thy interpreters^ O God, 
who are flow to instruct me ; it is 
thy only Son; it is his word I am about 
to hear. I most gratefully embrace 
this heavenly doctrine. / stand up to 
declare in the face of heaven and earthy 
that I will walk faithfully in that way 
which he hath marked out for me. 
He tells me here, That it will avail 
a man nothing to gain the whole world, 
if he lose his own soul; that the Sen- 
sual, the Covetous, the Worldling, the 
Libertine, the Detractor, and such as 
are insensible to the miseries of the 
Poor, shall have no share in his hea- 
venly kingdom; and that, in order to 



52 Prayers al Mas$, 

become his disciple, I must take up my 
cross and follow him. I receive, with 
my whole heart, all these sacred max- 
ims. Grant me the grace to put them 
in practice ; for to what purpose should 
I declare myself thy disciple^ if I were 
not to live accordhig to the maxims of 
thy GospeL 

Ai the Creed. 

Renew your ftiith in aM those ai'ticles winch th^ 
Church proposes to your belief, because they are 
founded on God's own word, revealed in the Scrip- 
tures, announced by the Prophets, supported by 
Mimcles, confirmed by the blood of the Mart^Ts, 
verified by the establishment of our Faith, and 
obvious by the sanctity of our Religion* 

I Return thee infinite thanks, O Lord, 
for having £]jiven me birth in the 
bosom of thy Holy Catholic Church. 
The precious gift of Faith is much 
more dear to me than any advantage 
of birth or fortune. Grant me a per- 
fect docility for all it teaches, as well 
for what 1 understand, as for what is 
above my conception. It is neither 
just nor possible that I should fuily 
comprehend an intinite God, who can- 
not even comprehend myself. By thy 
grace^ 1 am firmly convinced of the 



Prayers at 31 ass, 53 

wisdom and sincerity of thy Apostles, 
by whom thou hast announced these 
mysteries to the world. By them the 
world was converted : it submitted and 
believed them ; which, if done without 
a miracle, must be in itself the greatest 
of all miracles. What more then can 
I desire? What surer grounds can I 
have? On these principles I rest my 
belief. Here is the Faith which, to my 
last breath, I shall profess,— I firmly 
believe that thou art one God in three 
distinct persons, the Father, the Son^ 
and the Holy Ghost, who of nothing 
hast created all things, I believe, O 
heavenly Father, that thy only Son, 
who is perfectly equal to thee — Holy, 
Powerful, and Eternal, as thou art — 
became Man for love of us; suffered; 
died on the Cross; rose again, and 
ascended into Heaven ; from whence 
he shall come at the last day to judge 
the world ; and that of his blessed 
kingdom there shall be no end. I be- 
lieve HI the Holy Ghost, who is also 
true God as thou art, proceeding from 
thee and thy Son : 1 believe that he 
speaks by the Prophets; and that by 
him we are sanctified. I confess one 



54 Prayers at Mass. 

Baptism for the remission of sins. I 
expect the resurrection of the Body, 
and the Life of the world to come, 
where I firmly hope to possess thee^ 
Lord, for ever and ever. Amen. 

At the Offertory. 

Consider what an advantage it is to have, in this great 
Sacrifice, wherewithal to honour God perfectly; 
to thank him in a manner equal to his gifts ; to 
blot out, entu'ely, your past sins ; and to obtain, 
both for yourself and others, all those graces you 
stand most in need of. 

OHoly Father, Almighty and Eter- 
nal God, how unworthy soever 
I may appear in thy presence, yet I 
presume to offer thee this Host, by the 
hands of the Priest, with the same in- 
tention which Christ my Saviour had, 
when he first instituted this august 
Sacrifice, and which he now has at this 
very instant that he immolates himself 
for us. 1 offer it in acknowledgment 
of thy supreme dominion over nie and 
all creatures. I offer it in expiation of 
my crimes ; in thanksgiving for all thy 
benefits. I offer it to obtain from tliy 
infinite goodness, for my parents, be- ■ 
nefactors, friends, and enemies, all I 
those precious gifts and graces which , 



Prayers at Mass. 55 

only through him can be obtained, who 
is JUST by excellence^ and who be- 
came a victim for the sins of men. I 
earnestly entreat thee to bless and pro- 
tect the Holy Catholic Church ; our 
chief Pastor the Pope; our Bishops, 
and Clergy ; the King, Queen, and 
Royal Family; and all our Fellow- 
subjects of every denomination. Re- 
member also, O Lord, the Souls of the 
Faithful departed, and grant them, 
through the merits of thy Son, eternal 
light and peace. Have mercy upon all 
Heretics, Infidels, and Sinners. Bless 
and preserve all mine enemies ; and as 
I freely forgive them the injuries they 
have done or mean to do me, so do 
thou, in thy mercy, forgive me mine 
offences. Amen. ] 

At the Preface. 

Raise up your thoughts to Heaven, even to the very 
Thi'one of the Divinity, and there, with most holy 
and respectful awe, pay homage to his glorious 
Majesty, mixing your own praises with those sa- 
cred hymns with which the heavenly spirits are ever 
praising him. 

DO thou thyself, O Lord, raise up my 
heart; inflame it with thy love, 
and free it from all earthly affections; 



56 Praters at Mass. 

let it rest in Heaven, where thou my 
treasure art, and on this Altar also^ 
where thou art goinj^ to present thyself 
to thy eternal Father for our sake» 
As my life, O Lord, is a continued suc- 
cession of thy favours, so let my thanks- 
givings be also uninterrupted. And 
since thou art g^oing to renew the great- 
est of all Sacrifices, should not I also 
break forth into the mo&t lively ac- 
knowledgments? Permit me then, O 
Lord, to join my feeble voice with the 
host of heavenly Spirits, and to exclaim 
with them, in transports of joy, and ad- 
miration, 'Holy, Holy, Holy y Lord God 
^ of Sahaoth : The Heavens and the 
* Earth are filled with thy glory. Blessed 
^ he he who cometh in the name of the 
' Lord, Hosanna in the Highest^ 

At the Canon. 

Represent to yourself the Altar as a throne of Mercy 
upon which Christ is to sit ; where you are en- 
titled to present yourself, to expose your wants, 
to ask for blessings, and obtain them. Can he 
who giveth us his only Son, refuse us as any other 
favour whatsoever ? 

O Father of Mercy^ graciously receive 
this most holy Sacrifice, which we 
offer to thee by the hands of thy Priest^ 



Prayers at Mass. 57 

in union with that which thy beloved 
Son offered thee during his whole life^ 
at his last Supper, and on the Cross. 
Look down on thy Christ, thy dearest 
and only begotten Son, ' in whom thou 
art always well pleased and by the 
infinite merits of his Incarnation, Na- 
tivity, Tears/ Labours, Sufferings, and 
Death, have mercy upon me, and upon 
all those for whom 1 ought to pray — 
[here name the particular persons~\ — my 
parents, brethren, friends, benefactors, 
relations, and those who have injured 
me, or whom I may have injured. 1 also 
beseech thee to guard, prosper, and 
extend the Holy Catholic Church; to 
pour down thy blessings upon our chief 
Pastor the Pope, upon the Bishops, and 
all the Clergy: enlighten and guide 
them in the w^ay of salvation. Bless 
and preserve the King, Queen, and all 
the Royal Family. Look down upon 
us all, 1 beseech thee, O Lord, with eyes 
of mercy and compassion. Bring us all 
to the perfect practice of an holy and 
virtuous life here, and to the possession 
of thy eternal glory hereafter. May we 
all know thee; may w^e all please thee 
perfectly; may we fear, love, and glorify 



58 Prayers at Mass. 

thee : thro' the sarne Jesus Christ, who, 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth 
and reigneth^ one God world without 
end. Amen. 

Why have not I, O God, at this mo- 
ment, the ardent sighs with which the 
holy Patriarchs wished for the Messiah ? 
Why have not I their lively faith and 
their ardent love? Come, Lord Jesus! 
come, sweet Redeemer of the World ! 
come quickly, to accomplish a mystery, 
which is an abridgment of all thy other 
miracles. 

Thou art, O Lord Jesus! the true 
Pastor of Souls, who didst lay down thy 
life for thy flock! Thou art the Lamb 
of God, that died upon the Cross to 
save us! Prostrate in spirit before thee, 
I desire to praise and bless thee, both 
now and for ever. Amen. 

At the Elevation of the Sacred Host. 

Behold your God, your Saviour, and your Judge ! 
Contemplate, in silent astonishment, what passes 
before you. Excite every fervent sentiment in 
your soul, which fear, respect, and confidence can 
inspire. 

HAIL, O Victim of Salvation! 
Eternal King ! Incarnate Word ! 
sacrificed for me and all mankind ! Hail, 



Prayers at Mass. 59 

precious Body of the Son of God ! Hail, 
sacred Flesh, torn with nails, pierced 
with a lance, and bleeding- on a cross 
for us poor sinners ! O amazing good- 
ness ! O infinite love ! O let that tender 
love plead now in my behalf: let all 
my iniquities be here effaced, and my 
name be written in the Book of Life. 
I believe in thee ; I hope in thee; Hove 
thee. To thee be honour, praise, and 
glory, from all creatures, for ever and 
ever. Amen. 



At the Elevation of the Chalice. 

HAIL, sacred Blood, flowing from 
the wounds of Jesus Christ, and 
washing away the sins of the world! 
O cleanse, sanctify, and preserve my 
soul, that nothing in future may ever 
separate me from thee. Behold, O 
eternal Father, thy holy Jesus, and 
look upon the face of thy Christ, in 
whom thou art well pleased. Hear the 
voice of his Blood, crying out to thee, 
not for vengeance, but for mercy and 
pardon. Accept this divine oblation ; 
and, through the infinite merits of all 



60 Prayers at Mass. 

the sufferings that Jesus endured on 
the Cross for our salvation^ be pleased 
to look upon us, and upon all thy peo- 
ple, with an eye of mercy, 

Duriag the remainder of the Canon, contemplate, in 
the most affectionate manner, your Saviour, here 
present. Reflect on the mysteries he renews, 
tJnite the sacrifice of your heart to that of his body. 
Offer him up to God his Father, with the several 
intentions of the four lands of sacrifice offered in 
the Old Law^ beseeching him to accept the prayers 
which his dear Son addresses to him in our behalf. 

^r¥lIS now, O Eternal Father, that 
-i- we truly and really offer to thy 
divine Majesty, that pure, holy, and 
immaculate Victim which thou thyself 
bast been pleased to grant us, and of 
which all other offerin«^s were only the 
types and figures. The sacrifices of 
Abel, of Abraham, and Melchisedech, 
were of no value, when compared to 
ours. This glorious Victim — thy dear 
Son himself, the perfect object of thy 
eternal love, and alone worthy of thy 
altar — is an offering by so much the 
more precious than theirs^ as God is 
greater than all creatures. 



Prayers at Mass. 



CI 



As a Holocaust, or Wkole Burat Oifering. 

OSovereio'n Creator and Lord of all 
things! graciously vouchsafe to 
accept my hunnble homage, in union 
with that which thou here receivest 
from Jesus Christ, the only worthy 
adorer of thy infinite Majesty. Whilst, 
therefore, he immolates himself upon 
this Altar, I unite my intentions with 
those views and purposes himself has, 
in offering to thee this his holy Sacri- 
fice. It is he alone can form a just 
conception of the boundless excellence 
and tmspeakable majesty of the The 
Great Creator of Heaven and Earth : 
he alone fully comprehends the entire 
extent of thy dominion. He beholds 
(what w^e blind mortals cannot) how 
far all creatures, visible and invisible, 
depend on thee. He plainly conceives 
that thy dominion is absolute over all 
we are, all we possess or can hope for, 
in tivns or eternity. 'Tis in acknow^- 
ledgment of this thy sovereign autho- 
rity, and to make, in his name, a public 
profession of our total dependance en 
thee, that 1 unite with him in his daily 
renewal of this most holv sacrifice. 



62 Praters at Mass. 



As a Sacrifioe of TiiANfcSGivma* 

YOUCHSAFE, O most bountiful 
Lord God, to receive this pre- 
cious victim in thanksgiving for ali thy 
benefits. Thou hast created me to 
thine own image and likeness, and if 
thy alhpowerful hand had not conti- 
nued to preserve the slender thread of 
my life, I must ere now have fallen 
back into my original nothing. For my 
sake thou didst abandon thy beloved 
Son to the cruelty of the Jews and an 
ignominious death; nor dofh a single 
moment of my existence pass away 
without fresh proofs of thy bounty. O 
that I could, in some degree, acknow- 
ledge those thy innumerable favours, 
even at the price of my blood ; but the 
otlering I here make thee is infinitely 
more acce)^)fab}e — it is nothing less 
than thy beloved Son, equal to thee 
in ail things^ the very figure of thy 
substance, and splendour of thy glory. 

As a Sacrifice of Expiation. 

MEMEMBER, O Lord, that the 

Sacrifice we now offer to thee is i 

e^Eeotially the fBame, and ec^ualiy pro- j 

piliatory with that which our Saviour i 



Prayers at Mass. 63 

ofTered thee on Mount Calvary, though 
different as to the manner of offerings 
However base^ therefore, our ingrati- 
tude may be^ or however manifold our 
transgressions, we cannot but hope for 
pardon, since it is the blood of a God 
we offer in atonement. 

As a Sacrifice of Impetration, 

OGOD of infinite bounty, be pleased 
now to crown all the favours thou 
hast hitherto conferred on me, by the 
gifts of a livebjfailh, a firm hope, and 
an ardent charity. Bless all my labours 
and undertakings : give me an intuitive 
knowledge of thy holy will, and an 
unshaken resolution to put it into exe- 
cution. Grant me perseverance in thy 
grace to the end of my life. Have 
ntercy on the souls of the Faithful de- 
parted, particularly on those for whom 
I am in a more especial manner bound 
to pray [JSame iheni]. Deliver them, 
O Lord, from all their sufferings, and 
adm/it them into the mansions of ever- 
lasting bliss : through the infinite merits 
of Christ Jesus, thy only Son, who 
liveth, &c. Amen. 

D 2 



Gi ^^tayers at Mass. 

At the Pater Noster. 

Let us Imagine our^lves present with Jesus on a new 
Cakaiy. Let us remain at tlie foot of his Cross, 
with the tender compassion of Magdalen, with the 
ardent love of St. John ; or, standing afar off with 
St. Peter, let us weep bitterly over our manifold 
sins and oBences. 

HAT a happiness, O my God, to 
have thee for my Father! How 
joyful to think, that Heaven^ where thou 
art, is alsa to be my eternal dwelling- 
place? May thy name be glorified 
throughout the whole world. Reign, 
O Lord, over all hearts, affections, and 
desires. Refuse us not our spiritual 
and corporal food. We freely forgive 
others: do thou also forgive us. Sup- 
port us in the trials and temptations of 
this life, and preserve us from sin, the 
2:reatest of all evils. Amen. 

Agniu Dei. 

God^, so grorious m Heaven f so powerful on Earth ! 
so dreadful in Hell ! is here only a Lamb, full of 
sv/eetness and bounty ! Behold ! he comes here to 
take away the- sins of the world, and thine in 
particular. O what a motive of confidence ! O 
what a subject of consolation ! 

OLAMB of God, sacrificed for my 
sake, have mercy on me! O 
adorable Victim of my salvation, look 




Prayers at Ma^s, 65 

down on me and save me! Divine 
Mediator! obtain pardon of thy eternal 
Father for me, a sinner, and mercifurlly 
grant me the sweets of thy peace. 
Amen. 

Communion. 

To communicate gpiritually, renew, by an Act of 
Faith ^ your firm belief of Christ's Real Presence. 
Make stn Act of Contrition. Desire most earnestly 
to receive him with the Priest ; beg of him to ac- 
cept these desires, and to unite himself to you in 
the effusioR of his Graces* 

OThat I were amongst the number 
of those whose sanctity allows 
them to communicate daily ! What a 
happiness, O my God \ could I, at this 
moment, erect a throne for thee in my 
heart ; pay thee my homage ; lay open 
to thee my wants; and participate in 
the favours thou grantest to those who 
really and worthily receive thee. But 
since 1 am unworthy do thou^ O Lord^ 
supply my want of the proper disposi- 
tions Grant the pardon of my mani- 
fold sins, which I detest from the bot- 
tom of my beart, because they displease 
thee. Cast thy compassionate eye upon 
me, and purify my soul, that the ar- 
dent wish 1 now conceive to be united 



66 Prayers at Mass. 

to thee, by a worthy communion, may 
be speedily accomplished. But until 
the arrival of so happy a moment, I 
earnestly entreat thee, O dearest Lord, 
that thou wouldst make me partaker 
of all those advantages which the 
communion of the Priest may produce 
in those thy people. By the efficacy 
of this enlivening sacrament, increase 
my faith, strengthen my hope, revive 
in my soul the rays of divine charity, 
inflame my heart with thy love, that it 
may pant only for thee, and live for 
thee alone. Amen. 

At the last Praijers. 

Strive eaincstly to offer your Lord gacrifice for sa- 
crifice, by becoming the victim of bis love. Im- 
molate freely to bim all your sinful inclinations^ 

V and whatever is contrary to his holy will. 

SINCE thou, O Lord, hast sacrificed 
thyself for my salvation, shall not 
I desire to be sacrificed for thy glory? 
Yes, I am thy victim : do with me as 
thou wiliest. I consecrate my whole 
being to tiiee. I willingly accept what- 
ever crosses thou art pleased to send 
me. Receiving them from thy fatherly 
hand, I embrace them, and unite then} 



Prai/ers at Mass, 67 

with those thou hast endured for my 
sake. Before I quit thy temple, 
strengthen the resolution 1 have made 
to serve thee v/ith more fidelity, and 
to struggle, not only against my ordi- 
nary failings, but chiefiy against tliat 
to which I am most inclined. Thy law 
shall henceforth be my rule of con- 
duct during the remainder of my life ; 
and I will forfeit every worldly consi- 
deration, and suffer every calami! y, 
sooner than transgress it. Amen. 

At the Benediction. 

Receive tlie blessing from the Priest, as given in the 
name of the Lord. Thank hiin sincerely for the 
favours here granted you. Lay up, witli care, ths 
fruits of this sacrifice; and let your conduct be 
such, as that all who see you, may clearly percciivd 

. how mucli you have prohted by so holy an action, 

OST holy and adorable Trinity !- 
as it is by thee we began this 
Sacrifice, so it is by thee we desire to 
conclude it. Sutler us not, therefore, 
O Lord, to depart hence \^ithoat thy 
blessinj^. Give it us by the ministry of 
this Priest. May it ever remain with 
us ; may its influence always direct our 
action^; and may it be a sure pledge of 



68 Prayers at Mass. 

that final Benediction which thine Elect 
shall receive, when called by thee to thy 
Kingdom of Eternal Glory. Amen. 

The last Gospel. 

|1VINE Word ! only Son of the 
Father! Light of the World! 
who earnest from Heaven to shew us 
the way thither; I adore thy majesty 
with most profound respect : I place 
my whole confidence in thee : I most 
firmly hope, that as thou art my God, 
a God made Man ta save Mankind, 
that thou wilt grant me those graces 
which my sanctification may require, 
and also the enjoyment of thee in thy 
glory. Amen. 

A Prayer after Mass^. 

I Return thee infinite thanks, O my 
God, for permitting me to assist at 
this holy Sacrifice, in preference to so 
many others more worthy of so great 
a favour: And I hope that, through 
thy great mercy, thou wilt pardon me 
the faults which i may have here com- 
mitted, either by my tepidity or inatten- 
tion. Though I now return hence to 



Preparation for Confession. 69 

my worldly employments^ yet I will 
remember^ through the course of the 
day, what thou hast here done for me ; 
and shall endeavour that no thought^ 
word, or action of mine, deprive me of 
the advantao^es of which I have now 
been a partaker. Amen. 



A Preparation for Confession. 

THERE is scarcely any duty of greater importance in 
religion, than to receive the Sacrament of Penance with 
the necessary dispositions. Penance is as indispensably 
requisite for those who have fallen into sin after baptism, as 
baptism itself is for such as have never been baptized. It is 
a second plank after the shipwreck of sin, without xuhich the 
sinner must intvitably perish. But then it is to be observed, 
that this sacrament must be received with the necessary 
dispositions. The cleansing of tbe baptismal robe, and 
restoring it to its original purity, is not to be effected without 
much labour and application. It would be absurd to imagine 
that the unchangeable justice of God, which could not be 
satisfied but by the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and which, 
not%vithstanding these sufferings, doth still condemn to eternal 
torments the unrepenting sinner ; it would be absurd, I say, 
to imagine that his justice should now be appeased by a 
superficial or outward compliance with this duty, accompanied 
perhaps with insincerity, gross negligence, or a fixed ad- 
herence to mortal sin, and therefore destitute of real sorrow, 
change of heart, and a firm purpose of amendment. The 
enormity of sin is the same at this day that it ever was : it is 
as unchangeable as God himself ; because it is essentially a 
rebellion against him, a breach of his law, an insult offered 
to his eternal Majesty, and consequently not more remissable 
at present in the Sacrament of Penance, than at the earliest 
periods of Christianity, when the severest discipline prevail- 
ed, and the fervour of primitive penitents was so ardent. 
Hence, that this merciful institution may nevei be frustrated 



70 Preparation for Confession. 

of its end, and in order that the sinner may always receive 
the pardon of his offences, we must strictly fulfil these live 
following conditions; 

I. An examination of conscience, that we may know all 
our sins. 

II. A heart-felt sorrow for having committed them. 

III. A firm resolution never to commit them again. 

IV. A candid and humble confession of them to a Priest 
empowered to absolve us. 

V. A desire or intention of satisfying God, and our 
neighbour also, if injured. 

A Protestation before the Examination of Conscience, 

OGOD, the searcher of all hearts, behold, I 
here protest, in thy presence, that what 
I now design is sincerely for the honour of thy 
name, and because I heartily desire to be deliv- 
ered from the guilt of my sins : therefore I come 
to this sacrament of Penance, that, complying 
with tliy holy institution, I may obtain thy 
blessing and pardon, as thou hast promised. 
May tliy holy grace assist me in performing 
this great duty well, as it is thy mercy which 
has called me to it. 

Think seriously, and with the most lively gratitude, on all 
the benefits God hath so liberally bestowed on you, and 
particularly for liis goodness in preparing this Sacrament 
as a remedy for your sins. 

HOW great are my obligations to thee, O 
my God, in thus providinfr for me, after 
my disgrace, the means of a perfect reconcilia- 
tion. To have purified me in the waters of 
Baptism, was not enough ; thou hast also left me 
the waters of Penance, to wash me still more 
from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sins. 
For this end thou hast left tQ the Church; in the 



Preparation for Confession. 71 

persons of the Apostles, the power of remitting 
our offences : " Receive ye the Holy Ghost; 
whose sins ye shall forgive^ shall be JorgixenJ^^ 

0 what excessive goodness ! What an advan- 
tage to poor sinners, tohavea tribunal establish- 
ed for them always open, where they may be 
received into favour ! Can I ever be insensible 
to so striking an instance of thy bounty ! I have 
withdrawn myself from thee, by a formal con- 
tempt of ihy law, and thou art pleased to make 
the first advances to meet me! O Father of 
Mercies, and God of Goodness, be thou for 
ever blessed ! Permit me to fly to this powerful 
refuge; and suffer not that, by a new ingratitude, 

1 should for the future ever abuse so excellent a 
resource of salvation. No, it is not human 
lespect nor custom, nor the fear of being 
tb.ought careless of my soul, that brings me at 
present to this sacrament of reconcihation : No, 
it is a sincere regret for having incurred thy 
displeasure ; for who can be at rest, O my God, 
when he knows he is thy enemy, and that he 
has ofiended the very best of Fathers ? 



72 Preparation for Confession. 



PRAYERS 

Before the Eccaminaiion of Conscience. 

Beg of God to make your sins known to you, and to give 
you a true sense of their malice. Prostrate yourself in 
spirit at the feet of your Redeemer, as Magdalen did 
when she washed them with her tears ; or imagine your- 
self on Mount Calvary, and there, beneath his Cross, pour 
forth your prayers to him, resolving to acquit yourself 
of this confession, as if it were to be your last, 

OHoly Spirit, Eternal Source of Light, mer- 
cifully vouchsafe to enhghten the darkness 
of my understanding, that 1 may clearly per- 
ceive the true state of my conscience. Thou 
who hast created me, and art to be my judge, 
dost fully behold the most secret recesses of my 
heart: sliew me now, therefore, my sins in as 
conspicuous a manner as I shall behold them 
when on the point of appearing at thy tremen- 
dous tribunal. My object at present is, to pre- 
vent the rigorous account 1 must there give of 
all my thoughts, words, and actions ; for were 
I now deficient in that sincere exactness which 
is necessary in the examiimtion and confession 
of my sins, thou wouldst infallibly correct, at 
thy unerring tribunal, the injustice and ini- 
quity of such a proceeding. Discover, then, to 
me, O my God ! all those secret thoughts, irre- 
gular desires, criminal words and actions, or 
omissions of my duty, by which I may have vio- 
lated thy sacred laws, or scandalized my neigh- 
bour. O do not permit self-love to seduce and 
blind me, but rather remove the veil it places 
before my eyes, that, beholding the true state of 
my interior, I may make an humble and sincere 
confession of my sin. to thy Minister. 



PreparaiiGH for Conftssion, 73 

1 DESIRE, like the Prodigal Child, to enter 
seriously into myself, and witliont delay to for- 
sake my evil ways, in which 1 have been wearied 
out in the pursuit of empty toys and mere sha- 
dows, seeking in vain to satisfy my thirst with 
muddy waters, and my hunger with the husks of 
swine. 1 ardently- desire to return to thee, O 
Fountain of life! But, O my God, though I can 
go astray from thee fast enough, when left to 
myself, yet 1 cannot make one step towards re- 
turning to thee unless thy divine grace stir me 
lip and assist me. This grace, then, I most hum- 
bly implore, prostrate in spirit before the throne 
of thy mercy. I beg it ibr the sake of Jesus 
Christ, niy Redeemer, who died upon the cross 
for n^ and for all sinners. Thou hast said, 

T/itre isjoj/hi Heaxen for one sinner I hat does 
jRenance,^^ Give me now the s^race of true re- 
pentance, and let Heaven rejoice at my conver- 
sion. Assist me in this (>:reat work bv; thv heaven- 

l^i^'*^ order that 1 may discover all n^y im- 
perfections, see all my sins in their true colours, 
and sincerely detest and confess them. 1 know 
thou desirest not the death of a sinner, but rather 
that he be converted and live. 1 know that thy 
mercies are above all thy works, and 1 most con- 
fidently hope, that as in thy mercy thou hast 
spared me so long, and hast now given me this 
I desire of returning to thee, so d^.ou wilt iimsh 
the work that thou hast begun,, by assisting Uie 
in every |)art of my preparation for it, and bring- 
ing me to a perfect reconciliation Willi thee. 



74 Preparation for Confession. 

Examine yourself attentively, not only on the sins you 
liave committed since your hist confession, but also on the 
faults you may have committed in making it; but beware of 
scrupulosity or anxiety; for in this examination it is only 
necessary that you should use such a moral diligence as any 
temporal concern might require, where it is neither your in- 
tention nor your interest to be deceived. For this purpose, 
calmly recollect on the different occasions of sin which have 
since fallen in your way, or to which your state and condition 
of life exposes you; the places you have frequented; the 
persons you have conversed with, &c. &c. ; in the doing of 
which the following table of sins will greatly assist you. 

SINS AGAINST GOD. 

Tn Matters o/Fatth. — Have you been guil- 
ty of heresy, or disbelief of any article of faith, or 
of voluntarily doubting of any article of faith ? — 
Have you rashly exposed yourself to the danger 
of infidelity, by reading bad bookS;, keeping 
wicked company, going into places of worship 
belonging to other communions during the time 
of their service, and joining with them in their 
worship P—rHave you, by word or djeed, denied 
your faith, or railed at or despised holy things ? 
—Have you been ignorant of the articles of your 
faith and the duties of your religion, or have 
you been negligent hi instructing, or procuring 
the necessary instructions for those under your 
care Have vou o[iven credit to dreams, taken 
notice or omens, or made any other supersti- 
tious observations ?— -Have you used charms or 
spells, or coiisaited fortune- teller^, or made use 
of any other superstitious practices to find out 
tilings to come, recover things lost, &C. — -how 
often ?— and v^'ith what scandal and ill example 
to others ? ' 



Preparation for Confession* T5 

O/HoPE. — Have you despaired of salvation, 
or of the forgiveness of your sins ? — Have you 
rashly presumed upon God s goodness, con- 
tinuing to offend him because he is merciful ; 
going on in your sins, without any thought of 
amendment, depending upon a death-bed re- 
pentance ? — Have you rehed upon yourself 
rather than upon divine grace; or neglected 
for a long time to return to God by repentance, 
after falling into mortal sin ? 

Of Charity . — Have yo u loved any creature 
as much or more than God ?~Have you mur- 
mured against the providence of God, resisted 
his inspirations, refused to submit to his divine 
will, not prevented evil when you could and 
ought, orcommittedsin through human respect? 

Of Religion. — Have you made a sacrile- 
gious confession or communion ? — Have you re- 
ceived the sacraments of confirmation or ma- 
trimony in the state of mortal sin ? — Have you 
abused the holy scripture, or profaned holy 
places or sacred things ? — Have you blasphem- 
ed God or his saints? — Have you been negli- 
gent in the divine w^orship, seldom or never 
adoring and praising God, or giving him 
tiianks for his benefits ? — Have you prayed but 
seldom, or with little attention, or omitted to 
make acts of faith, hope and charity? — Have 
you behaved with irreverence in the house of 
God, or broke any vow or solemn promise made 
to him ?^ — Have you neglected to liear Mass on 
Sundays and holy-days of obligation ? — or 
have you heard it with wilful distractions, or 
not taken care tliat your children or servants 



76 Preparation for Confession. 

should hear it? — Have you neglected confes- 
sion and communion at Easier^ or omitted the 
penance enjoined you, or acquitted yourself of 
these religious duties carelessly ?^ — Have you 
sworn falsely, or what you did not certainly 
know whether it was true or false : — Have you 
broken your lawful oaths, or sv^'orn to do any 
i\\\ng that was wicked or unlawful ? — Have you 
had a custom of swearing rashly or inconsider- 
ately, by the name of God, by your soul, or by 
the way of imprecation upon yourself or others ? 
— Have yon sworn by the blood or wounds of 
God, or any other blasphemous oaih, or been 
-accessary to oihers swearing, cursing, or bias- 
})heming? — Have you spent the Sundays or 
holy-days of obligation in idleness or sin, or 
been the occasion of others so spending them ? 
— Have you done any servile work without ne- 
cessity upon those days ? — Have you broke the 
days of abstinence, or eaten more than one 
meal on tasting days, or l)een accessary to others 
in so doing ? — How often, &c. 

SINS AGAINST OUR N i: IGII I50U a. 

In Thoughts — Have you been deficient in 
point of Charity towards your neighbour? — 
Have you judged raslily of hiui ? — Have you 
M'ilfully entertained thouorhts of hatred, aver- 
sion, rancour, or a coldness and resentment 
against him ? — Have you on this account, en- 
deavoured to avoid meeting or speaking to hiiii ? 
— Have you envied him in his merit, reputation, 
fortune, employments? — Have you conceived 
desires of revenge against Ifmi, and v. isiies that 
harm might beiul him r—Have vou been hard- 



Preparation for Confession. 77 

beartedj or without any feelino; or compassion 
for Ivim in his affliction ? — Have you felt in 
yourself a secret pleasure and satisfaction when 
any disgrace happened to him, and discontent 
in seeing him thrive and flourish ? — (These sins 
may vary in their malice, according to the 
length of time we were thus affected, or the 
relation w^e stand in to the different persons in 
question, or accordino- to the greater or less 
importance of the matter under our considera- 
tion.) 

/// Words. — -Have you spoken harshly to 
your neighbour — given him abusive language — 
railed at him — miscalled him — mocked and ri- 
diculed him — exposed him to scorn — affronted 
him — censured his conduct — found fliult with 
every thing he did — put wrong constructions 
upon his actions — calumniated or detracted liim 
— been pleased to hear others speak ill of him — 
listened to and encouraged the calumny or 
detraction when you could prevent such dis- 
course ? — (N. B. The motive for speaking thus, 
the number of persons present, and the subject 
of this uncharitable language, must be speci- 
fied, as we are bound to repair the injury to the 
best of our power.) — We also sin by ill-natured 
reports or insinuations — malicious expressions, 
whether true or false — by giving bad advice 
and bad example — by instilhng bad or danger- 
ous principles — by flattering others, or approv- 
ing of evil — by giving false testimony—by 
discovering the secrets or the faults of others — - 
by abusive words, reproaches, bad wishes^ or 
imprecations, &c. 



78 Preparation for Confession. 

In Actions. — Have you wronged, deceived, 
or circumvented your neighbour in buying or 
selling? — Have you injured him by stealing, 
cheating, usury, extortion, or any unlaw^ful 
contract ? — by putting off false money or using 
false weights and measures? — Have you bought 
or received stolen goods ? — Have you contract- 
ed debts without design of paying them ? — We 
also sin by wronging our creditors, or our own 
family, by prodigal expenses — by refusing to 
pay our just debts when able, or by culpable 
extravagance rendering ourselves unable to pay 
them — by neglecting the work or business for 
which we were hired and obliged by contract to 
perform. In fine, by unjustly taking or keep- 
ing any thing of value belonging to another ; in 
which case it is impossible to obtain forgive- 
ness, without making restitution to the best of 
our power. And here it is to be observed, that 
where two or more jointly injure another, in 
goods or reputation, they are jointly and seve- 
rally obliged to restitution ; that is to say, they 
are bound to contribute their respective propor- 
tions towards repairing the injury, and every 
individual of them is answerable before God 
for the whole injury, when either or any of the 
accomplices refuse to repair their portion 
thereof. 

In Omissions, — Have you neglected to suc- 
cour, comfort, and assist your neighbour in 
necessity? — Have you neglected to restore ill- 
gotten goods, or repaired injured characters? — 
Have you refused to be reconciled to an enemy, 
or to perform duties of obhgation, such as 



Preparation for Confession. 79 

respect and love towards parents, obedience to 
superiors, &c. ? 

SINS AGAINST OURSELVES ARE COMMITTED 

jBy Pride. In having too great an esteem 
for ourselves, and haughtily despising others — 
In being too apt to speak of our own affairs, or 
in our own praise — In aspiring to honours and 
preferment through vanity — In affecting to be 
humble or in deceiving others by hypocrisy — ^In 
beincj influenced in what we do bv human re- 
spects, for obtaining the applause and esteem of 
men — In being too much wedded to our own 
opinions and inclinations — In being too solici* 
tous about our health — In being too fond of 
the pleasures, comforts, and conveniencies of 1 ife. 

B2/ Avarice— In being backward in giving 
alms according to our ability — In squandering 
away in gaming or in vain and foolish expenses, 
the substance that Providence hath given for 
the relief of the poor and distressed— In not 
only refusing them an alms which we can afford, 
but in refusing it with bitterness, reproaches, 
imperious ill-naturcvd language, or with au 
iivsulting air — In being too much attached to 
the goods of this life ; where it must be ever 
remeuibered, that whatever is real/?/ superfluous 
' to us belongs of right to t^he poor; that where 
tltere is much, much should be given ; and that 
where there is only a little, even some of that 
little should be cheerfully given, for " God loves 
the cheerful giver.^^ 

By Ex V Y~In being sorry for the prosperity 
of others — In reioicing at their misfortunes — In 

E 4. 



80 PrepnraHon for Confession, 

A\MshIng witli jealousy for what belongs to 
tbem. 

Bi/ Impurity. — In wilfully dwelling upon, 
or taking pleasure in, unchaste tlioughts. — N.B. 
The penilfjit must here mention whetlier these 
bad thoughts were entertamed during a consi- 
derable time, and how long ; whether they 
Avere accompanieil with desires of committing 
the evil ; w hether they caused irregular motions ; 
whether in a holy place ; and, finally, whether 
the objects of the sinful desires were single or 
married, kindred or relations, or persons conse- 
crated to God. 

Bj/ Words. — In speaking obscenely, or 
with a double meaning, which is as bad, if not 
■worse — In listening with pleasure to such vile 
lanpuage. — FN. B. This sort of discourse is 
still more criufmal when it passes between two 
persons of a different sex.] — We also sin griev- 
ously this way, by singing unchaste songs, by 
giving toasts and sentiments contrary to modes- 
ty, or by permitting them to be given when we 
can prevent them^ or by not retiring on such 
occasions. 

Bij Looks. — In viewing immodest objects 
— In reading bad books — In keeping indecent 
pictures — In frequenting plays and public as- 
semblies, which are but too often the schools of 
vice, where dangerous objects are held up to 
view, and w4iere vice is represented, not in its 
native horrible colours or consequences, but as 
mere gaiety. Comedies also are often so full 
of indecent f?cntiments and indelicate allusions, 
as cannot but offend a modest ear^ and have an 



Preparalion for Cojifession. 81 

immoral tendency. They are not only power- 
ful incentives to this vice, but are besides evi- 
dently unlawfiu, for the following reason, viz. 
Because we cannot assist at them without con- 
tributing, by our purse and our example, to 
maintain a set of people in a profession, or way 
of life, which was always deemed infamous by 
the Catholic Church. Under this head, like- 
Avise, may be classed, the tempting of others to 
sin, by dissolute glances, gestures, or immo- 
desty in dress or behaviour. 

Bi/ Actio !^s. — In abusing and defiling the 
sanctity of marriage by such Uberties and irre- 
gularities as are contrary to the order of nature 
— Jn touching ourselves or others immodestly 
— In permitting indecent liberties to be taken 
with us; — N. B. It is necessary to explain 
every thing, in order to make known such cir- 
cumstances as may increase or diminish the 
guilt, with as much modesty as possible ; and 
also to declare, whether we have employed, or 
neglected to employ, the necessary means of 
overcoming this vile passion. We should care- 
fully distinguish what is wilful, from what is 
not ; an effect of deliberation from one of mere 
negligence. Also, the number of these bad ac- 
tions, or, at least, the length of time we con- 
tinued in the habit of committing them ; with 
what sort of persons we have sinned, or desired 
to sin, but this without mentioning their names. 
And as it too often happens with young per- 
sons, who have miserably fallen into a certain 
sin, ofa lonely and abominable nature, either to 
conceal this crime^ or not faithfully confess how 
E 5 



82 Preparation for Confession. 

often they have been guilty of it, we therefore 
earnestly beseech such to reflect seriously upon 
the fatal evils in w^hich they involve themselves. 
Let them consider, that all those confessions, 
and the communionswhich follov^them, are only 
so many sacrileges, removing them still farther 
from God, and provoking his just indignation 
against tliem ; that the longer they continue 
in this state of hypocrisy, the more difficult 
it must be to overcome their bashfulness, and 
the more anguish they must fee! in their own in- 
terior ; that no practice is more destructive of 
health, beauty, or genius, than this ; that it de- 
forms and debilitates the wretched perpetrator ; 
that it must, not only in a moral, but also in a 
physical sense, degrade him beneath the rank of 
the brute creation, and render him contemptible 
to mankind. 

By Gluttony. — In exceeding the bounds 
prescribed by temperance — In eating or drink- 
ing to excess — In exciting others to do so — In 
not observing, with due exactness, the days of 
fasting and abstinence enjoined by the Church 
— In exceeding the quantity which is usually 
allowed at collation. 

5y Anger. — In abusing, quarrelling, strik- 
ing, or wishing evil to others. — In provoking 
others to quarrel or fight. Which sins are siill 
more heinous, when parents or superiors a,re the 
objects thereof. 

-By Sloth. — In neglecting our religions or 
moral duties- — In performing them carelessly — 
In leading a life of idleness, voluptuousness, and 
dissipatica — in passing our time unprofiiably^ 



Preparation for Confession. 83 

"when the duties of our state call on us to labour. 
We are also guilty by following the bent of our 
inclinations^ and gratifying self-love-— by study- 
ing too much our own ease — and by too great a 
remissness in mortifying our passions or senses. 



After the Examination, 

HAVING discovered the different sorts of sins of which 
you haA^e been guilty, together with their number, enormity, 
or such aggravating circumstances as may considerably 
increase their malice or change their nature, your next en- 
deavour should be t<9 excite in your breast a heart-felt sorrow 
for having committed them, and a sincere detestation of 
them. This being the most essential, as well as the most diffi- 
cult, of all the dispositions requisite to a good confession, 
with what humility, fervour, and perseverance, should not you 
importune Him who holds the hearts cf men in his hands, 
to grant it you ! 

In the mean time seriously meditate on those powerful 
motives for exciting contrition v*^hich the church holds 
forth to her children ; and in order to feel their force tha 
more efiectually, endeavour to enliven your faifch, to strength- 
en your hope, and inflam.e your charity, by de-.-outly reciting 
the acts cf the three theological virtues f page '27 J. In 
the next place, reflect on those motives which are most capa- 
ble cf alarming, and at the same time of melting yous" 
heart into compunction; such as, the everlasting torments 
of bell — 'the eternal loss of God, and of the joj s of Heaven — ■ 
the horror and nlthiness of ^in — the goodness of God in all 
he has done, and all he still does, and all he will do for us, if 
we continue to ioye and serve him ; particularly that astoiiish^ 
ing instance of his love and undeserved m.ercy, in forbearing 
to cut your slender thread of life, and to precipitate you into 
eternal torments in the vei-y iieight of your rebellion against 
hira. This consideration alone must necessarily engage you 
to cry out with extatic surprise and astonishment, Mow 
^ood must Q'ld be in himself who has be.en so good to me, his 
failhless and un^ateful child /^^ He saw nothing- in you 
de<»erving of his mercy ; he saw every thing in you that 
merited his wrath and indigrjiiio i 



84 Preparation for Confession. 

This last reflection on the infinite goodness of God, if 
dwelt on with due attention, cannot fail to inflame your 
heart with an unfeigned love of Him for his own sake, the 
purest and best of all motives. Whilst the heart is thus 
softened by divine love into compunction for your sins, form 
an unsliaken res;olution of never more offending him — ©f 
doing your utmost to amend your life — of satisfying for 
your sins — and of repairing any injury you may have done 
your neighbour, either in his character or property. 

If, with tiiese sentiments glowing in your breast, you cast 
yourself at tlie feet of your confessor, and reveal to him all 
the sins you can recollect, with tears of compunction, and in 
a truly penitential spirit, be assured you shall return with joy 
from tlie tribunal of confession, carrying back the precious 
sheaf of God*s unbounded mercy. 

Qui seminant in lachrymis, in exuUatione melent, 

" They who sow in tears, shall reap with joy." 

Fsalm cxxr. 

At the Co?7fession. 

Begin by devoutly making the sign of the cross ^9 
saying at the same time, Blesa me, 0 Father, for I have sinned. 
Then repeat the Conjiteor, or " I confess to the Almighty,*' 
&c. till you come to the words, "through my fault;*' at 
which strike your breast, glowing with compunction, like the 
humble publican in the gospel ; and so proceed to accuse 
>rourself with candour and sincerity, telling, first, how long it 
is since you were last at confession, whether you were then 
absolved, (a cii cumstance of the utmost importance, which 
many are too negligent in attending to,) and whether you 
performed your penance. Having confessed all the sins 
you can remember, listen with docility to your confessor, 
■whilst he endeavours to excite you to contrition, and 
prescribes the various means, either of atoning for the sins 
you have confessed, or of preventing future relapses. 



( 85 ) 



PRAYERS before CONFESSION. 

"We are taught by the holy Council of Trent, that those who 
would obtain the grace of justification, should be thus 
disposed : they must have faith ; they must fear the justice 
of God ; tliey must hope for merey, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord ; they must begin to love God ; they must hate 
sin ; they must J^incerely resolve to change their lives, and 
keep the comrnandments. To infuse these necessary 
dispositions into the soul of the penitent is the intent of 
the following prayers, 

I AM fully sensible, O my God, that there 
cannot be a greater misfortune than to have 
displeased thee, who art infinitely ^^ood, and 
worthy of all our affections. I tremble when I 
consider how terrible a misfortune it is to fall 
unprepared into thy hands; for who can bear that 
dreadful sentence. Depart from me^yeaccursedy 
into eternal fire! Mat. xxv. But the thought of 
losing thee, O Lord, alarms me still more than 
any other punishment whatsoever. Thy pa- 
tience in waiting for me, thy readiness to pardon 
me, tlie multitude of ihy mercies, which 1 have 
so often experienced, are now present to my 
mind ; they upbraid me most forcibly. Thou 
hust brought me forth from nothing — created 
me to thy own image and likeness — ransomed 
me with thy precious blood — and, after I had 
rebelled and became a slave to Satan, thou 
didst still bear with me, adopt me as thy child, 
and prefer me to thousands who were never 
enlightened by thvholv law. Yet I have deserted 
thee — I have tired myself in the ways of iniquity 
— I have hated thy discipline — I have turned uiy 
back upon all thy coaunandments. Though tiioa 



86 Prayers before Covfession. 

hast often called me, yet have I refused to returp ; 
thougl\ thou hast frequently stretched out thy 
hands to me, yet 1 have paid no regard to thy 
invitations. Wretch that lam! who shall deliver 
me from this body of death ? Who shall give 
water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my 
eyes, that day and night I may weep for my 
iiigratltiide ? 1 have sinned ! what shall 1 do to 
appease thee ? O Guardian of Men ! behold, I 
acknowledge my iniquity. My transgressions are 
become a heavy burden upon me. 1 am not 
worthy to appear before thee, nor even to lift up 
my eyes before thy throne. From the depth of 
my misery 1 cry out to thee : O Lord, hear viiy 
voice, and be merciful to a poor sinner ! Thy 
mercies surpass all thy works : thou wiliest not 
my death, but my conversion ; nor didst thou 
come to call the just, but the sinners to repent- 
ance. Thou art always mindful of thy word, 
on which I rely : receive thy prodigal child, 
nor let me henceforth be ever separated froia 
thee, 

THOUGH I have sinned, O Lord, and 
done evil in thy sight, yet 1 shall never say, as 
Cain did, that " my crimes are too great to be 
forgiven." 1 know that in m.ercy thou dost 
display thy power ; and that though my sins 
were multiplied in number even beyond the 
grains of sand in the sea, atoms in the air, 
or drops of water in the ocean, yet thy 
mercies are still infinitely greater. Without 
this consideration I should certainly despair. 
But thine own repeated assurances, and the 
frequent proofs thou hast given of thy tenderness 



Prayers before Co7}fession» 87 

towards sinners, support my confidence in 
tliee whenever my enemy attempts to weaken it. 
Thon art Truth itself; and therefore thy word 
can never deceive us. Thou hast declared that 
thou wilt entirely forget the iniquities of the sin- 
ner, if he be truly converted^ and cease to do 
evil : thou hast told us, that a contrite and 
humbled heart shall always find favour with 
thee. Thy sacreci oracles are full of these 
svveet consolations; and thy invariable conduct 
towards sinners speaks the same soothing lan- 
guage. Thou didst pardon David, though his 
sin was most grievous — Magdalen, a sinner by 
profession — Peter, who denied thee with oaths 
' — the Adulteress, convicted in thy presence — 
the penitent Thief on the cross ; all these ob- 
tained forgiveness, because they sought it sin- 
cerely. Nay more, thy tenderness was shewn 
even to the traitor Judas ; nor were even the 
cruel Jews excluded from thy prayers ; and 
shall 1 not also, O my God, cry out to thee for 
mercy: Yes; for relying on thy wonted good- 
ness, I shall never be confounded. My sins are 
enormous, it is true, and stand always against 
nie ; but the more hideous they are, the more I 
detest them. Against tliee, O God, have 1 ♦ 
sinned ; and to thee 1 cry out for pardon. O 
that 1 had never offended thee, because thou art 
infinitely good. O that my sorrow for having 
otfended thee w^ere as great as my offences. O 
thai I mio^ht crrieve for them even unto death, 
and feel those bitter pangs with which thy soul 
was overwhelmed in the Garden of Olives. 
Let the inexpressible anguish of m.ind thou 



88 Prayers before Confession^ 

didst there feel, thy sighs, thy tears, thy farm*-* 
ing, and thy bloody sweat, O Lord 1 plead now 
in my behalf, and supply the defects of my 
imperfect sorrow. Let them draw down thy 
mercies, O heavenly Father, and restore me 
again to thy favour. 

I HAVE now before me, O Lord, a sad 
prospect of the iiianifold oftences by which I 
have displeased thy Divine Majesty^ and which 
I am assured will appear in judgment against 
me, if I repent not, and my soul be not disposed, 
by a hearty sorrow, to receive thy pardon. But 
this sorrow, O Lord, this repentance, must be 
thy free gift ; and if it comes not from the hand 
of thy mercy, all my endeavours will be in vain^ 
and 1 shall be for eve? miserable. Have mercy 
therefoi-e on me, O Father of Mercies I and 
pour forth into my heart thy grace, whereby 
I may sincerely repent of all my sins. Give 
me a true contrition, that I may bewail 
my past miseries aixl ingratitude, and grieve 
from the bouom of my heart for leaving of- 
fended so good a God. Permit me not to be 
deluded with a false sorrow, as, 1 fear, I have 
been too often, through my own weakness and 
neglect ; but let it be now thy gift, descending 
from thee, the Father of Lights, that so my 
repentance may be accompanied with amend- 
ment and a change of life, that I may be fuily 
acquitted from the guilt of all my sins, and 
once more received into the number of thy 
servants : through Jesus Christ, our Lorci 
Amen, 



Prayers before Cotifession. S9 

THOU hast, O Lord, given power to i\\y 
Church to forgive ains in thy name. Thou 
hast promised pardon to those who do penance. 
Behold the Prodigal Child ; nay, worse than 
the Prodioral. I have disfifjnred and defiled 
my soul, that was created to thy own image and 
likeness. I have forfeited my title to that 
eternity of happiness which was prepared forme. 
1 have nourished sin in my bosom, the most 
poisonous of serpents, and the most hatefvd of 
monsters. Alas ! 1 have offended Him, by whose 
blood 1 was redeemed. I have been the cause 
of his sufferings ; I have renewed his death, 
and crucified him again, by my sins.— Oh ! 
who will give sorrovv to my heart, and a foun- 
tain of tears to mine eyes, that I may bewail 
my iniquities in the bitterness of my soul. 
Have compassion on me, O mostloving Father ! 
I throw myself into the arms of thy infinite 
mercy. Clothe me with thy grace, and admit 
me to thy sacrament of reconciliation. Cast 
out of my heart whatever thou knowest pro- 
fanes or defiles thy temple. Root out of my 
soul whatever is displeasing unto thee ; and lay 
in me the foundation of a new life. I renounce 
and utterly detest all my sins, for the love of thee, 

0 my God of infinite bounty and goodness ! 

1 am heartily sorry for having offended thee. 
1 beg and hope for pardon, through the merits 
of thine only Son, my Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
Accept his pasj^ion and death in satisfaction for 
my offences, and, for his sake, have mercy on 
me, who place my whole trust and confidence 
in thee. Amen. 



90 Prayers after Confession. 

O HOLY Virgin, Blother of God, and 
sure refuge of penitent sinners, intercede for 
me at this moment, that the confession which I 
am about to make may not render me more 
guilty, but may obtain for me the remission of 
all my sins, and the necessary graces to avoid 
them hereafter. Amen, 

A Prayer at receiving Absolution. 

O MERCIFUL God, as, at the words of 
thy Angel, St. Peter was immediately 
restored to liberty, by the chains failing oif from 
his feet ; so grant, dear Lord, that by the words 
of this holy sacrament, pronounced by thy 
priest, the chains of my sins may be loosed, 
and all my offences be pardoned. Amen. 

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 
O God, be merciful to me a sinner. O Thou 
who sufferedst for me, have mercy on me. 
Sprinkle me with thy blood, O Jesus, and I 
shall be made whiter than snow. 



PRAYERS after CONFESSION. 

IS it possible, O my God, that having been a 
criminal but a few moments ago, I should 
nov^ be cleansed from my sins by virtue of this 
sacrament ? Yes, 1 firmly believe it ; because 
thou hast left to thy church the power of for- 
giving sins, and hast inclined my heart to 
comply with the necessary conditions for ob- 
taing pardon. Thou liast declared -to thy 
apostles, that whatever they should looge on 
earthy should be loosed also in Heaven : and 



Prayers after Confession. 91 

that whosesoever sins they should forgive, should 
be forgiven." This is the sacred warrant of 
their tribunal, whose authority thy faithful have 
ever acknowledged. Here are the keys of thy 
heavenly kingdom, solemnly made over to thy 
church in our favour : we are therefore obliged 
to have recourse to them. This power was 
not confined to the apostles, no more than the 
power of baptizing nations ; but being granted 
in as general terms, doth, in like manner, ex- 
tend to their successors. 1 give thee thanks^ 
O my God, for this tender proof of thy love, 
and invite all creatures to glorify thee for it.— 
Thou hast invested a power in the sons of 
men which thou wouldst not confer on angels 
or archangels : tofiatever ye shall bind on 
earthy &^c. was not addressed to them. — " The 
princes of this world have dominion only over 
the body, but the power of the priest affects the 
very soul. The Eternal Father hath given all 
power to his Son : but then I behold this very 
power delivered by the Son to mortals. The 
Jewish priests could only pronounce those 
clean, whose bodies had been already cleansed 
from the leprosy; but to our priests it was 
given, not merely to pronounce clean^ but 
reaily to cleanse^ not the infections of the body, 
but the very stains of the soul." [St. Chrys. 
b. iii. of ihe Priesthood,^ — " Thus thy mani- 
fold mercy hath provided succour for human 
frailty ; that as by baptism, so also by penance, 
the hope of life should be renewed : for Christ 
Jesus, our Mediator, authorized the rulers of 
his church to impose, penance upon persons 



99 Prayers after Confemon* 

confessing, and to admit them, thus purified by 
wholesome satisfaction, to share in the sacra- 
ments.'* — [St. Leo, ep. 23.] — This is an effect 
of that precious blood, which thou, O amiable 
Redeemer, hast shed for my sake : 1 acknow- 
ledge the wonders of thy love in accepting this 
poor satisfaction, in pardoning all, in forgetting 
all, instead of punishing me so much as I 
deserved. It is necessary to be, what thoii 
art, a Goi> of infinite Goodness, to deal 
in such a compassionate manner with so miser- 
able a sinner ; and therefore 1 humbly beseech 
thee to imprint on my heart a just sense of 
this favour, that 1 may gratefully remember it all 
the days of my life, and extol, without ceasing, 
the multitude of thy mercies. Amen. 

O MOST sweet Lord Jesus ! graciously 
vouchsafe to remember all those holy thoughts 
that have passed in thy divine mind from the 
beginning of the world to this very moment^ 
and particularly thy tender design in becoming 
Man for the redemption of the world : 
pardon, through the merits of these, not only 
all the evil thoughts and vain imaginations I 
have ever conceived of myself, but also those 
which I might have excited in the minds of 
others. Ameji. 

O MOST pious Lord Jesus ! I, a poor sin- 
ner, do humbly remind thee of all those words 
of salvation which have ever fallen from thy 
sacred lips, or which others have uttered, or 
shall hereafter utter, to the glory of thy holy 
name. 1 earnestly beseech thee, through these 
divine expressions, to forgive whatever I have 



Prayers after Confession. 93 

spoken oftensive to thee, or what others, through 
my means, may have sinfully uttered. Amen, 

O MOST amiable Lord Jesus Christ ! look 
on all the good works thou hast performed for 
our salvation ; and be pleased now to pardon 
whatever I have committed against tliee. Mer- 
cifully direct all my thoughts, words, and 
actions, to thy greater glory, and regulate them 
bv the model of thine own blessed life. Anicn. 

O JESUS CHRIST, Saviour of the 
WoHd, who invitest the sinner to return to 
thee, kindly receiving, refieshing, and consoling 
liim, remember that wiiii thy precious blood 
ihou wert pleased to redeem me. To thy sacred 
wounds 1 fly for refuge; and as in thy mercy 
thou didst pray fur thine enemies, and pour 
forth thy life for thy persecutors and tormentors, 
so impart here to me the beneilt of thy passion. 
Grant 1 may never again crucify thee by mine 
oflences, but that sincerely fjrievinj^ for what 
is past, and resolutely striving against future 
temptations, 1 may fervently persevere in thy 
service to the end. 

Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my 
whole being. O Jesus, Son of David, have 
mercy on me. 

RECEIVE, O Lord, in thy great mercy, 
the poor remains of my life. I am heartily 
sorry for the years 1 have mispeiu — they have 
vanished as a shadow — they have passed away 
w ithout fruit ; but as 1 cannot recal them, suf- 
fer me at least to think of tbem in the bitrerness 
of my soul. Suffer me no longer to yield to 
mv accustomed failings. Lei the ardour wilU 



94 Prayers after Confession. 

which I pursued a life of sin, be henceforth 
more diligently applied to thy service^ that 
where sin hath abounded, thy grace may still 
more abound. Remember, O Lord Jesus! 
that it is not thy desire to lose any of those 
whom ihy Father hath given thee, but rather 
to have mercy always, and to spare — to destroy 
no one, but to save all; because thy Father 
hath sent thee into the world, not to judge the 
world, but to grant us life through thee. May, 
therefore, O Lord, thy boundless merits plead 
for me now, and at my last moments, that I 
may obtain the full remission of my sins ; that 
] may truly know thee ; that I may ever love 
thee ; that I may tend to thee incessantly ; and 
at length arrive to the eternal enjoyment of 
thee : who, with the Father and the Holy 
Ghost, livest and reignest, one God, world 
without end. Amen, 

I SINCERELY detest all my sins, and am 
fully resolved, O Lord, through the assistance 
of thy divine grace, never to oifend thee here- 
after. 1 therefore earnestly beseech' thee to 
coniirm all those good resolutions I have made. 
Increase my fervour in thy service, and render 
it efhcaCious, that my change of life may be 
visible to all, and that in future my conduct 
may be as edifying as it has been heretofore 
scandalous. Amen. 

O THAT 1 had never sinned! O that I 
had never transgressed thy commands, my 
God ! Happy those souls who have preserved 
their innocence, and never lost that ^^^race they 
received at the baptismal font \ Must loving 



Instructions for Communion. 95 

Father. I have sinned against Heaven, and 
before thee, and am not worthy to be called thy 
child. I confess my ingratitude, and seek 
refuge in thy mercy. I have wandered hke a 
sheep that is gone astray; but have compassion 
on me, and save me. Forgive me what is 
past ; and, through the bowels of thy infinite 
goodness, grant me a true steadiness of spirit, 
that from this moment 1 may never offend thee 
more. 

O BLESSED Virmn Mary ; my holy Pa- 
tron \jmme him or htr\ ; and all ye Saints and 
Angels ; praise and extol our Lord for his 
boundless goodness towards me a most misera- 
ble sinner. Beseech him to accept of this, my 
humble confession, and to supply, through his 
infinite mercies, all its deficiencies. Beg of 
him to ratify, in the archives of Heaven, the 
sentence of absolution which his minister, the 
priest, hath pronounced in my favour at the 
tribunal of confession. Amen. 



INSTRL'CTIOXS for COMrMUXICX, 

S tliere is no religious duty of greater conse- 
quence, or more conducive to our happiness both 
here and hereafter, than to receive worthily the blessed 
Eucharist ; so there can be no greater favour confer- 
red on a christian, than to communicate early in life, 
and afterwards frequently. Hence it becomes the.m° 
dispensable duty of such as have the education of 
children committed to their care, not only to impress 
on their tender minds a lively and active sense of the 
excelieiicy of this sacrainentj but also to enforce the 



96 Instructions for Communion. 

necessity of frequently receiving it. ' He tliat eateth 

* this bread shall live for ever,' {John, ch. vi.) — 
The obligation of communicating at Easter is binding 
on every member of the church who has arrived at 
the age of discretion, i. e, when reason and reflection, 
guided by the gift of divine faith, arrive at such a 
etate of maturity as. may enable them to distinguish 
the flesh of Jesus Christ, under the exterior appear- 
ance of bread and wine, from the ordinary food of 
the body. It is farther to be obser\'ed, that as purity 
of lieait is the most proper disposition to receive 
worthily, so, of consequence, the less advanced the 
j\ge of a christian, the more untainted, in g</ieral, is 
his baptismal innocence. But, on the other hand, it 

to be remarked, that the longer a christian defend 
his first communion, the greater is the danger that 
either domestic aflaii's, ortlie violence of those passions 
to which young persons in general are more or less sub- 
ject, should caAise him to put it off t-o a more advanced 
age, or perhaps to the very hour of death !— fatal 
delusion, which has betrayed numbers of christiims 
into the abyss of eternal perdition : — Let parents, 
therefore, and others concerned in the education of 
ciiildren, attend to the advice of the great St. Charles 
Borromeus on this subject : * When children,' Bays 
he, ' of both sexes, arrive at the age of ten years, 
provided they are capable of being easily prepared 
^ for communion, suffer them not, under pretence of 

* ignorance, (as is often the case,) to defer it any 
' longer ; but rather let them be prepjared in good 

time to pai'tici})ate of a sacrament which ab< #;uis 

* witli sucli precious and inestinuible advantages,' 

With respect to frequent communion, tlie be^t ad- 
vice is to follow the counsel of a wise anfl prudent 
director. But remember, that according to the spirit 
of Jeaus Clniit and his Church, you should comniu- 
uicate frcqiieiitly. Our divine Redeemer gives him- 



histructions for Coinniunion. 97 

«elf to in the blessed Eucharist under tlie forms of 
hread and wine, hereby intimating, tliat as our corpo- 
real life cannot be supported without the ordinary food 
of the body, so our spiritual life cannot be maintained 
but by the blessed Euchaiist, which iii the food and 
nourishment of our souls. Hence it is that he assumes 
the most tender and affectionate titles of spoiiS'S 
brother, friend, &c. in order to incite us to approach 
him frequently in this diTme sacraments 

The spirit of the church is further made knoT^m by 
the advice of the holy Council of Trent, which exhorts 
all the faitliiul to communicate often, and particularly 
whilst they assit^t at the celebration of the divine m}'s- 
teries. To those testimonies may be added the ex- 
hortations of the Holy Fathers, the example of the 
Saints, tiie practice of the piimitive christians, and 
the experience of all pious and devout persons in 
©very age, as so many corroborating proofs of the hap* 
pin«ss and ^dvaatage of fi'equent communion. 

But if it be a happiness to communicate early in 
life, and frequently during the course thereof, it may 
be also said that there cannot be a gi-eater misfortune 
than to communicate unworthily ; it being a most 
flagrant abuse of what is most sa)Cred in religion. To 
avoid, tben, so great an evil, reilect seriously on those 
vt\)rds of St. Paul : * Let a man prove himself y and 
' so eat of that bread, and drink of that chalice ; for 

* he that eateth and drinketh umoorthily^ eateth and 

* drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the 
11 f body of the Lord.' Now this proving consists in 
I putting yourself into such a state, that your conscience 

may not reproach you with any esserdial obstacle to 
[ the receiving of this sacrament, that is, with the con- 
jl scions guilt of any mortal sin whatever. This you 
ij can answer for, provided you hax^e endeavoured to 
j' make as exact, as fervent, and perfect a Gtmfession, 



98 InslriicLions for Communion. 

as you would wish to mal^e at the hour of death ; and 
you sliould certainly be equally careful and fervent in 
- so doing, there being not less purity required to re- 
ceive Jesus Christ in tliis life, than to appear before 
the judgment teat of God in the next. 

Above all things it must be remembered, that the 
essential point in this proving of yourself, is, to quit 
the occasions of sin^ and to repair the scandal it hath 
caused: without a fixed determination of so doing,, 
the accusation and detestation of it are absolutely 
insuiiicient. 

But this purity of conscience, which exempts fi'om 
mortal sin and every ciiminal attachment, though it 
may prevent the communion from being sacrilegious, 
yet is not sufficient to render it so fruitful and advan- 
tageous as it should he. Wherefore the more you 
prepare yourself for this sacrament, the greater abun- 
dance of gTace will you acquire. In order, then, to 
prevent the mistake of such as do not think it neces- 
^ - Bary to prepare for receiving this holy sacrament be- 
fore the very day of com.munion, the following pious 
practices are earnestly recommended : 

- I. Some days before communion perform all your 
actions and prayers, in order to obtain the graces 
necessary for so important a duty. Offer them up in 
the morning with this intention, and do some good 
work, such as an alms, an act of mortification, or a 
fast, with the same desisrn. 

II. Visit our Lord in the blessed sacram^ent morn- 
ing and evening on these days, to beg that he would 
himself by his grace dispose your heart to receive 
Iiim worthily. 

in. Read every day a chapter out of the 4th book 
of the Following of Christ, or some other approved 
fcnok tliRt treats' of the Eucharist. 

I . On the eve of your communion ]>e more recol- 
lettei tli.an usual; think cfxeii UT^on the hapuiness you 



A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin. 99 

are to enjoy the ensuing day in receiving your God. 
As this shoukl he your last thought at composing your- 
self to rest, so it should also he your first at pavaking. 

y. Represent to your imagination tliat your Angel 
Guardian addresses you in these words ; ' Behold, 
' the Spouse cometli : go forth now and meet him." 
Arise as early as possible, to receive the gTeat guest 
who designs to honour you with tliis visits. Keep a 
profound silence till you return from Mass ; and let it 
appear by your modesty and recollection that you are 
deeply penetrated with the consciousness of the sanc- 
tity of an action of the most ineiiable dignity and 
excellence. 

YL ^Vhenever you go to communion have always 
in your mind some particular intention — such as, the 
acquiring of some virtue ; overcoming such a temp- 
tation; the Imowing of God's will with i^^gard to 
yourself ; the relief of the souls of the faitliful de- . 
parted ; the conversion of infidels, heretics, and of ^ 
sinners in general ; — for nothing is more capable of 
exciting fervour in devotion than some particular end 
to which it is referred. 



A Pr^iyer to the BLESSED VIRGIN, 
1^ SACRED Mother of God, pure and 
spotless Virgin ! thou didst not bear the 
Saviour of the World in thy sacred womb for 
thine own sake alone, but for ours also.' May 
not I then, O Mother of Mercy, hope to par- 
take of liis merits, and obtain,, through thy 
powerful intercession, some slmre of the same 
holy dispositions of soul which thyself didst 
possess at the time thou didst conceive him. 
O that the same Divine Spirit which then pre- 
pared thy body and soul for \\\^ reception, 
F 2 



100 PrdT/ers before Cmnmmmi. 

would now shed his precious gifts on me, since 
it is die same God-Man that I am also about 
to receive. Obtain for me a pure heart for his 
dwelling-place, and a firm and constant resolu- 
tion to support myself in his grace ; but above 
all, inspire me with an infinite horror of tlie 
detestable sin of impurity, which, in a particu- 
lar mannev, contaminates the soul of man, and 
renders it unwordiy of cammunicating ; be- 
t^ause, by dishonouring my fleshy I dishonour 
the flesh of Jesus Clu'ist ako. Alas ! if thy 
immaculate virginal womb was not too pure for 
a God to become incarnate therein, how can 1 
pi^sume to present myself at the table of the 
God of Purity, and receive him into a heart 
contaminated with the smallest stain of a vice 
so abominable in the sight of infinite Purity 
and Sanctity } 

PRAYERS before COMMUNION; 

I FIRMLY believe, O my Divine Jesus, 
that thou art really present in the blessed 
Sacrament of the Altar. I believe that it con- 
tains thy body and blood, accompanied by thy 
\eYy soul and divinity. I acknowledge these 
truths ; I believe these wonders ; I adore the 
pow'er that has wrought them, the same power 
that said, ^' Let tliere be light, and light was 
made/* I submit my senses and reason to thy 
divine authority. I praise and glorify thy infi- 
nite goodness, which hath prepared this hea- 
venly banquet for the food and nourishment of 
my soul. Blessed be thy name for ever. Ac- 
cept my homage : accept, O my God, my most 



Prayers before Cornmunion. 101 

hearty thanks. — But what am I, that thou 
shouldst work such wonders for my sake : How 
shall such a filthy sinner as I am presume to 
approach thee, who art the inexhaustible source 
of infinite purity and sanctity? How shall I 
venture to lift up my eyes to Heaven, much 
less to receive thee within my breast l~l trem- 
ble at the sentence of thy Apostle; — Who- 
^' soever shall eat this bread or drink this cup 
" of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of 
" the body and blood of the Lord/*[ i .Cor.ii.J 
for I acknowledge myself to be nothing but 
dust and ashes — a poor miserable worm of the 
earth, subject to many vices, and void of all 
virtue and merit. Alas ! my life has been no- 
thing but sin and misery. 1 have nothing to 
confide in but thy boundless mercy ; nor should 
1 ever presume to approach thy sacred table, 
and partake of the bread of Angels, were 1 not 
encouraged by thy infinite goodness, and ex- 
cited by thy own most pressing invitations. It 
is therefore in thy mercy, which is above all thy 
works, that I put my whole trust ; and since 
thou art pleased to call me to this divine ban- 
quet, behold 1 come to it, like Magdalen, to 
be happily united to thee, and to lay down all 
my siiis at thy feet, to be cancelled by thy pre- 
cious blood. I come to commemorate thy suf- 
ferings, as thou thyself hast ordained. 1 come, 
as one sick, to the Physician of Life : as one 
blind, to the Light of Eternal Glory ; as one 
poor, needy, and distressed, to the King of 
Heaven and Earth. To thee I expose all my 
wounds, that they may be healed. To thee 1 



102 Praj/ers before Communion* 

fly for protection, hoping that tliou wilt be to 
me a Saviour, and that thou wilt wash away 
every sin that may defile me. Remove my 
blindness, reheve my necessities, and clothe me 
with thy grace, that I may receive the adorable 
sacrament of thy Body and Blood with such 
reverence and humilitv, such contrition and de- 
votion, such purity and faith, as may be for thy 
honour and glory and the salvation of my soul. 
I am not worthy, O Lord, to receive thee; 
alas ! I am not ! but thou canst, if thou wilt, 
make me worthy : say but the word then, and 
my soul shall be healed. Thou hast heretofore 
said to the Leper in the gospel, 1 am 
willing, be thou healed and he was imme- 
diately cured of his disease. My soul is covered 
with an universal leprosy : heal me, then, O my 
Saviour, in like manner ; cleanse my soul from 
its stains; remove from it all guilt; extinguish 
in it every evil disposition ; adorn it with the 
necessary virtues, and make it a fit abode for 
thy reception. May the body of our Lord 
Jesus Christ preserve my soul to life everlasting. 

Another Prayer. 
WHO is he whom thou art about to receive ? 
O my soul, be still and attentive — Who is lie 
thou art going to receive? thy God! thy Re- 
deemer ! who, for love of thee, shed torrents of 
blood during his agony in the. garden of Geth- 
semani ! who, for love of thee, suffered his sa- 
cred head to be pierced with a crown of thorns, 
and his virginal flesh to be rent and torn at the 
pillar W'ith whips and scourges! whO; for love 



Prayers before Communion. 103 

oFthee, suffered himself to be clothed in a pur- 
ple garment, and derided as a mock king, with 
a reed for his sceptre ! who. for love of thee, 
suffered his sacred hands and feet to be fastened 
with gross nails to the wood of the cross I in 
fine, who, for love of thee, hung thereon, in tlie 
most ignominious manner, between two thieves, 
suffering for the space of three hours the most 
excruciating pains and tortures! and at last 
ex{)ired for thy redemption ! — After such stu- 
pendous instances of thy love for man, who can 
refuse a return of love to thee, Lord Jesus? 1 
love thee, O my God ! and arderuly wish, that 
as every breath I draw is an increase of my life, 
so it may be of my love for thee, till at last I 
love thee in tlie manner thou thyself requirest, 
viz. with my whole heart, with my whole 
soul, with all my mind, and with all my 
^' strength for thou art the God of my heart, 
and the Life of my soul ; thou art my treasure, 
my joy, my comfort, my support, my strength, 
m.y armour, my defence, my only hope and 
comfort in this place of banishment and vale of 
tears, and the supreme object of my happiness 
in Heaven. 

As tli-e wearied stag pants afier the fountains 
of water, so does my soul languish after thee, 
the Ocean of all S weetness : it tliirsts after thee 
with the most vehement desire, and longs to 
drink plentifully of those fountains which issue 
from the inexhaustible source of thy infinite 
goodness for my comfort and refreshment, O 
sweet Jesus ! permit me now to experience tlie 
multitude of thy tender mercies. Have com- 



Acts before Communion. 

passion on me and save me, for thou never for- 
sakest such as place their hope in thee. Purify 
my heart with the fire of divine love, that it 
may this day become a fit abode for thy recep- 
tion : O come, and make it thy dwelling-place 
for ever. I am sorry, and will be sorry as long 
as I live, for having ever offended thy infinite 
goodness : forgive me, dear Lord, my past tres- 
passes, and be thou my keeper for the time to 
come, that I may never more otfend thee. 

Hail, saving Victim ! who for me and all 
mankind wast offered on the cross. Hail, pre- 
cious Blood flowing from the wounds of my 
crucified Lord, and w^ashing away the sins of 
the world ! As 1 now desire to receive thee, 
veiled in this sacrament, so I hope hereafter to 
behold thee, face to face, in the kingdom of 
Heaven. 

O all ye blessed Angels and Saints of God, 
I humbly beg the assistance of your prayers 
and intercession, that I may, with a clean heart 
and a pure conscience, approach the Holy of 
Holies, and receive this divine sacrament with 
such reverence and humility as may be for my 
souTs salvation. 

ACTS OF VIRTUE, 
WldcJi may he used with greed spiTitual advantage 
before Comrmmkm, according to each persmis 
leimre and devotion, 

IMAGINE that our Saviour invites you into the 
same room in which he ate his last supper with his 

SipostieS; to be a witness of the miracle he is there 
going lO pe-rfem, and to give you the communion 



Acts hefore Communion. 103 

with his own seered hands. How fervent soever your 
sentiments might have been on tliat solemn occasion, 
they ought not to be less so at present ; for as he 
ordained that this divine food should be daily renewed 
for the nourishment of the faithful, till his second 
coming to judge mankind at the end of the world ; so 
he gives himself no less to us at present, than he did 
at that time to his apostles. Take them now for your 
model. The account which we have in the gospel of 
this last mystr»rious supper, will furnish you with pro- 
per acts for communion. Read them attentively ; 
make them your own, by reflection ; and let them 
sink deeply into your heart. 

AN ACT OF ADORATION. 
The Gospel of St. Luke, chap, xxii, informs us, that our Sa- 
viour sat down, and his twelve Apostles with him, to eat 
the Paschal Lamb, or accomplish the Supper of the Old 
Law, and institute that of the New in its stead. — Who 
could not be otherwise than astonished at seeing a God 
admit his creatures, nay even bis very enemies, to partake 
of his adorable body? Wlien he loved his own who 
were in the world," says his beloved disciple, St. John, 
** he loved them unto the end." But this was loving 
them, not merely to the end of this mortal life, but even 
beyond it — to the very end of ages — with the utmost ex- 
cess, and to the farthest limits of love. Contemplate, 
therefore, with the most attentive recollection, the excel- 
lence, the depth, and the extent of the boundless love of 
our divine Redeemer, of which this mystery is an epitome, 

COULD we ever believe, O Lord, or even 
imagine, that thy love for us was so excessive, 
had not thine own infallible word convinced us 
of its truth? Hadst thou, when thou wert 
about to quit this world, left us thy adorable 
heart as a pledge of thy alfeetion ; or hadst 
thou, when thy side was pierced^ ordered thy 



106 Acts before Communion. 

precious blood to be distributed throughout ihy 
Church; such favours would justly claim our 
most grateful acknowledgments. But this 
would not satisfy the extent of thy love : thou 
didst choose, in a crodlike manner, to penetrate 
into the very centre of our hearts, and give 
thyself to each of us particularly, entirely, and 
forever. With what amazement, then, must 
not the angels and the whole hierarchy of 
celestial intelligences, have beheld such a pro- 
digy ! W ere they not, in some measure, jealous 
to see mankind thus uncommonly favoured? — - 
But what didst thou discover in me, O Lord, 
that could thus attract thee ? or what couldst 
thou possibly expect from my indigence? Can 
I become the dwelling-place of Him who is 
the delight of the blessed ? Alas ! had I even 
the innocence of thy beloved disciple John, or 
the ardent love of thy zealous apostle St. Peter, 
I should then have some little claim to sit 
down at thy table ; but since I am removed at 
so great a distance from such holy dispositions, 
vouchsafe, O Lord, to supply my deficiency by 
the effusion of thy grace. Whence is this 
favour to me, O my merciful Redeemer. — 
u What is man, that thou art mindful of him ? 
^' or the son of man, that thou shouldst visit 
^' him Fsahn viii. 



Acts before Communion* 107 



AN ACT OF DESIRE, 

Upon these tender words, which our Saviour pronounced 
immediately before the supper : " With desire I have 
desired to eat this Pascli with you." Luke xxii, 15. 
For why should we not feel the most ardent desire to be 
united to our Lord in this sacrament, when we see him 
so desirous to visit us, and take up his dwelling in our 
hearts ? Endeavour to excite this desire, by considering 
"how much you stand in need of this bread of life, and by 
the great esteem this heavenly nourishment deserves. 

SINCE thou, O Lord, art so. prodigal of 
miracles, and obligest me to receive thee under 
such severe penalties, nothing can be more 
certain than that thou desirest to make my 
heart thy dwelling-place. With what fervent 
desires should 1 not, therefore, endeavour to 
co-operate with such bountiful intentions! O 
my all-sufficient God 1 though thou standest 
in no need of me, yet thou hast compassion on 
my poverty. May then the efficacy of thy 
grace sup))ly my indigence : may it awaken 
every faculty of my soul, and render my desires 
to receive thee worthily still more inflamed ; 
for though they are arrived at a certain anxiety, 
J aui nevertheless sensible of their being too 
tepid. Alas! my Redeemer! why do 1 not 
sigh after thee with the sam.e holy fervour as 
did the patriarchs of the old law, wlio ex- 
pected thy coming ? Come, O Lord, and do 
not delay." Ixemember, O heavenly Physician, 
that thou canst not refuse thy all-healing balsam 
to the wounds of my soul, since thy motive for 
ciesceuding on earth was lo heal the sins of 
men. Aiihough 1 am needy and poor, yet 
thou canst enrich me. Although I am en- 
hldved uiider the tyranny of my predominant 



108 Acts before Communion. 

passions, yet thou canst break my chains and 
set me at liberty ; a single word of thine would 
be altogether sufficient to work these miracles 
in favour of one so unworthy of thy corporeal 
presence as I am. Speak it then, O Sovereign 
Good, for I can no longer live without thee. 
Let blind and infatuated worldlings intoxicate 
themselves with the false, transient, and fading 
happiness of this life : as for my part, nothing 
besides thyself can content me, either in heaven 
or on earth: for what have I in heaven, or 
what can 1 desire on earth, beside thee ? — 
Come then, O thou Lamb of God, who takest 
away the sins of the world ! Come, thou be- 
loved of my heart ! adorable flesh and precious 
blood of my Saviour ! Come, to nourish, com- 
fort, and enliven my sickly soul. O God of 
my heart ! let me neither love, seek, nor think 
on any other object but thyself alone ; for thou 
alone art my consolation, my treasure, my joy, 
my life, my God, and my all ! my heart as 
eagerly desires to receive thee, as the wearied 
stag longs to quench his thirst in the fountains 
of water. Psalm xli. 

AN ACT OF FEAR, 

The evangelht mentions, that when our Saviour declared to 
his disciples, that one of them should betray him, they 
were all exceedingly afflicted. " Verily I say unto you, 
** that one of you will beti'ay me : and they began each of 
them to saj', Is it I, Lord ? Is it I ?" Mat, xxviii. Let 
your hearts also give way for a moment, to the thoughts 
of that uncertainty which every man is in, of being in tiie 
state of grace: examine seriously your real dispositions, 
and have no other confidence tiian in the mercy of God. 

IF the uncertainty of being worthy of thy 
love or hatred, O Lord, made even St. Paul, 



Acts befoi^ Commoilon. 109 

tkat vessel of election, tremble, liow much move 
reason have not I to ap[>rchend lest some con- 
-cealed sin, lurking in my heart, might obstruct 
the salutary influence of those graces which 
thou hast prepared for those who worthily 
receive thee in this divine sacrament? May net 
I, perhaps, like another Judas^ give thee the 
•kiss of peace to-day, and basely betray th.ee 
to-morrow? or, instead of coming to vibit me 
as a faithful disciple, dost thou not rather come, 
Avith horror and indignation, as to a concealed 
■enemy? How can 1 answer for the integrity of 
iuy confession, tire fervo\ir of my contrition, or 
the sincerity of my resolutions? Is it notcustom, 
or human respect, tha-t brings me to tlie foot of 
thy altar? Have 1 not still some favourite 
attachu>ent ? and in the resolution I have made 
of relinquishing t^^y vile evil habits, have I riOt 
spared some favourite, though dangeroi>s, pas- 
sion ? With tiie same heart-felt anguish as thy 
<Iisciples experienced on the like occasion, 1 ask 
thee, O Lord, is it 1 ?" But the most abomi- 
nable ti'aitor Judas asked thee the same ques- 
tion= Is not my anxiety, as his was, only false 
and apparent? It is this thought, O my God, 
that terrifies me; and it is to thyself alone I 
have recourse to preserve me from so horrible a 
sacrilefre. No, thou wilt never permit me to 
be guilty of so hon'id a profanation, since thou 
•seest there is no evil I dread so much. Where- 
fore, my dear Saviour, after being as diligent 
as 1 could in my preparation to receive thee, 
1 now rest entirely on thy infinite mercy.— 
Q 



110 Acts before Commimion. 



Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful 
man." Liike v. Have confidence, " my child^ 
thy sins are forgiyen thee/' 3Jat» x\, 

AN ACT OF CONTRITION. 

By our Saviour's xvashing the feet of liis disciples, to prepare 
them for this new supper, (" And he began to wash the 
** feet of his disciples, and dry them with the girt he had 
** about him" — John xiii,) we are taught not to confine 
ourselves merely to detesting those grievous sins wliich 
give death to the soul ; because we see that the disciples 
were obliged to undergo this ceremony, though Christ 
already had declared them pure, and in the state of grace ; 
(** You," sai(h he, are already clean but we should 
also endeavour to purify our souls, as much as possible, from 
even the slightest stains of venial sins, which is signified 
by the washing of the feet of his disciples. 

TO transform a sonl, so defiled as mine by 
the ordure of sin, into a state of innocence and 
purity, must be the work of the right liand of 
the Most High. Ah, my God ! 1 "shall never 
be able to discover any vestige of that precious 
innocence which makes a soul so lovely and 
acceptable in thy sight, unless I trace back my 
whole life to the days of my childhood. But 
although I have had the misfortune to forfeit 
my baptismal innocence by sin, yet there 
i^eraains for my consolation this sure anchor, 
whereby I may hope to regain thy favour, 
grounded on thy infallible promise, viz. That 
thou wilt never despise a conlrite and humbled 
heart. 

But if even the enormity of my sins had not 
exposed me to thy wrath, and consequently to 
the eternal pains of hell, yet I would neverthe- 
less sincerely detest them. O my God ! do not 



Acts bejore Lommumon, III 

upbraid me with mine iniquities— they are 
always in my sight ; and the bitterness of ray 
regret for having committed them shall serve 
as a continual punishment of my baseness. 
Ah, my Redeemer ! tliough I cannot siiiTer 
such an excessive degree of anguish as thou 
didst during thy agony in the Garden of Geth- 
Fcmani, when in a bloody sweat thou didst 
offer thyself as a victim to the Eternal Father^ 
yet 1 am fully determined to suffer with pa- 
tience every cross or affliction which may fall in 
my way, as well in atonement for the sins I 
have hitherto committed, as to prevent me from 
futiue relapses. Assist me with thy grace, O 
Lord, and remove every occasion of sin at a 
distance from me; and as I dread no evil so 
much as that of offending thee mortally, rather 
prevent me, by cutting the thread of life, than 
suffer me again to become thine enemy. But, 
in my present disposition of mind, 1 do not 
confine myself to merely detesting all mortal 
offences ; no, my amiable Saviour ! inflamed 
with thy love, I am also fully resolved to avoid 
every venial sin that may in the least displease 
thee, or diminish the influence of thy graces. 
And thouMi I have a well-grounded confidence 
that my soul has been cleansed in the sacrament 
of penance, still I desire to be washed more and 
more from my iniquities. Create a clean 
heart in me, O God ; and renew an upright 
" spirit within my bowels." Psalm 1. 

G 2 



112 



Acts before Communion. 



A PRAYER 

For ohtainmg the effects of a Plenary Indulgence, 

ACCEPT, O Almighty God, through the 
merits of thine only Son Jesus Christ, the 
intercession of his immaculate Mother the 
blessed Virgin Mary, and of the wliole Court of 
Heaven, the Communion 1 am about to make, 
to thy greater glory. Accept it, in thanks- 
giving for thy innumerable benefits, to obtain 
the pardon of my sins, and grace to acquire 
a victory over my passions, particularly those 
to which I am mostly enslaved {name, them). 

Considering that the debts which I owe to 
thv justice are so immense, that, of mvself. I 
have not the means of discharsfinf; them, 1 have 
therefore recourse to the inexhaustible treasure 
of the merits of my Redeemer, which thy 
Church (in virtue of the keys of the kingdom 
of Heaven, which he has committed to its 
supreme pastors, in the person of St. Peter) now 
holds forth to me. Grant me, O Lord, the 
dispositions to obtain such a portion thereof as 
mav be necessarv to discliarii^e the debt of tern- 
poral punish uient due to my sins. Suffer me 
now to partake of the infinite merits of Christ, 
that the immense ransom which he has paid 
for my salvation being applied to my poor 
sinful soul, 1 may be released from the punish- 
ments which it has otherwise so justly deserved. 
1 beseech thee also, O most bountiful Lord ! 
to pour down thy blessings on thy holy Catholic 
Church ; on its supreme pastor [ Pope .^^.A'.] ; 
on the pastor to wiiom the care of thy flock in 



Ads before CGmmunion. 113 

this diocese or district is committed [name 
hini] : upon our king, queen, and ail the 
royal family: upon all thy bishops and 
clergy throughout the whole world. En- 
lighten poor infidels, heretics, and sinners; and 
assist such apostolic missionaries as labour in 
their conversion. Unite all mankind in the 
profession of the true faith ; give them the 
spirit of divine charity, whereby they may 
love thee above all things, and for thy sake 
love each other. Have compassion on the 
suffering souls of the faithful departed. Give 
thy blessing to my parents, friends, relations, 
and benefactors ; preserve them from eternal 
misery ; and conduct us all, by thy grace, to 
the mansions of celestial bliss, there to praise 
and glorify thee for ever. Amen. 

AN ACT OF HUMILITY. 
Reflect on these -vrords ; And he gave it to his disciple*;, 
and said, " Take ye, and eat,*' &cc. It must have been a 
great cause of contusion to the Apostles, when they beheld 
their SaWour distribute to them his sacred body, not 
merely that they might adore it, or that they might preserve 
it as an inestimable relick, but that they might make it 
their food. Be thou also penetrated with tiie most pro- 
found humility-. 

WHAT am I, O God of Majesty and 
Glorv: or who am I. tliat thou shouldst design 
even to look on ? Wlience am 1 honoured 
with so unspeakable a favour, as that my Lord 
and my God should come and visit in person 
such a miserable and vile worm of the earth ? 
How dare a being, more contemptible than 
nothing, approach so holy a God, eat the 
bread of Angels, and feed on thy divine fleah ! 



1 1 4 Acts before Communion. 



Ahj Lord! it is too much ; 1 am not worthy 
of so great a favour; 1 shall never, no, never, 
deserve it. 

() King of Heaven and Earth ! adorable So- 
vereign ! the Author and Preserver of the Uni- 
verse! behold, I annihilate myself before thee, 
protesting that I vv^ould humble myself as much 
ihv thy glory, as thor. dost here for my salvation* 
I acknowledge, with the most profound resj^ect, 
the infinite grandeur of thy divine Majesty and 
my own miserable baseness. The contempla- 
tion of one and the other fills me with inexpres- 
sible confusion. Can I possibly say more, my 
dear Saviour, than to confess, with the utmost 
iiumility, in the words of the Centurion, ^'Lord, 
" I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter 
under my roof; say but the word, and my 
*• soul shall be healed." 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 
In consequence of the words pronounced by our Saviour, 
when he consecrated the bread and wine — *^ This is my 
body/' &c. This is my blood,'* Sec. — the xApostles 
received what Christ then gave them as his real body and 
blood. Do thou now, in like manner, m«ke a most lively 
Act of Faith of the real presence of Jesus Christ in tlie 
Blessed Eucharist. 

SINCE thou, Omnipotent God, whose al- 
mighty words are creative, productive, and 
effective; since thou, O eternal Truth, who 
canst neither deceive nor be deceived; since 
thou, 1 say, hast declared that thou art reatli/ 
and aclually present under the presence of 
material bread, I therefore imphcitly believe it: 
for what greater proof can I require of the truth 
of this mystery, than thine own infallible word. 



Ads before Communion. 115 

Yes, my dear Saviour, I openly confess, and am 
inwardly convincedj that it is Thou thyself I 
am going to receive ; Thon, who, for my sake, 
wast born in a n.ianger ; Thou, who, for my 
redemption, didst die on a cross, and who, 
though now gloi iously seated on tliy lieavenly 
throne, still continuest on earth, under the sa- 
cramental veils, to feed and nourish the souls of 
men. Were 1 to behold thee with my corpo- 
real eyes, and examine the impressions of the 
wounds thou didst receive in thy sacred hands 
and side, as St. Thomas did, still I could not 
say with more confidence than 1 now do, that 
Thou art my Lord and my God! I do not 
demand a miracle as a proof of thy real pre- 
sence; no, Lord, let me rather have the whole 
merit of faith ; for thou hast said, Blessed 
are those who believe and do not see." 

Wert thou therefore to speak to me from this 
very tabernacle, the voice w^ould effect me less 
than that which resounds in thy gospel and 
thy church, founded by thyself, and propagated 
in a mh'aculous manner. Though my senses 
may tell me it is nothing but mere bread, yet, 
submitting them entirely in obedience to divine 
faith, 1 answer, it is thy real body and blood, 
accompanied bv thy soul and divinity. In this 
faith 1 am determined to live and die ; and 
were 1 to suffer a thousand martyrdoms in tes- 
timony thereof, 1 am persuaded that, by the 
help of thy grace, 1 would remain iumioveable. 
'•Thou art really a hidden God; a God Sa- 
" viour," Isaias. I believe; O Lord^ help 
^' my unbelief." Mark ix. 



1J5 Ads hefbre Commnmon. 

WFien about to conimtmicate, let vour Iieart Be^ 
penetrated witli a -lively sense of the actual presence 
of your divine Saviour, and at the same time endea- 
vour to recollect tlie different paesag-es of scripture 
above quoted, they being-, as it were, an abridgment 
of the foregoiag acts. You ma}^ also reflect on 
the worck, " May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ 

pn'serve thy Soul iinto life everkstiMg," which th,^ 
priest pronounces at the moment. he gives you the 
Blessed Sacrament ; beca'cise that they imply, that 
tlie end proposed in commiuiicating',. is a©t sijafiply t® 
abide in a certain reguliirity of conduct for a few 
months, weeks, or days ; but to persevere faithfully, to 
the very hour of death, in that state of grace to 
which a wortliy participation of this divine Sacrameat 
shall now raise you. 

AN ACT OF HOPE, 

SINCE thou vouchsafest to come and dwell 
within me, O my RedeemeVj what may I not 
expect from thy bounty f I therefoye present 
myself before thee with that lively conCidence 
wliich thy infinite goodness inspires. Thou 
not only knowest all my wants, but tho-u art 
also willing and able to reheve them. Thou 
hast not only invited me, but also promised me 
thy gracious assistance : Come to me, all yo*i 
that labour and are he^ivy burdened, and I 
will refresh you." Behold, ihen, O Lord, I 
accept of thy gracious invitation ; I lay before 
thee all my wants, my misery^ and my blind- 
i>ess; and confidently hope, without the fear of 
being disappointed, that thou wilt enlighten my 
understanding, inflame my will, comfort me in 



Prayers after Communion. 1 17 

the midst of snch crosses or afflictions as thoii 
hast appointed I should suffer, strengthen nne in 
all temptations and trials, and, in fine, with the 
powerful assistance of thy grace, change me into 
a new creature : for art not thou, O God, the 
master of my heart? and when shall my heart 
be more absolutely disposed of by thee, than 
when thou shalt have once entered into it I 

DEVOUT PRAYERS, 

OR FERVENT ASPIRATIONS, 

AFTER COMMUNION. 

I RETURN thee most hearty thanks, O 
amiable Jesus, for the inest'nnable blessing 
1 now enjoy. 1 praise and glorify thee with my 
\vhole soul for the numberless favours I have 
received from thy bounty. 1 adore thee now 
reposing within my breast. O my God and 
my All ! a thousand times welcome. May thy 
holv name be for ever blessed ! O Sovereign 
Lord of Heaven ! how amazlno^ is the excess 
of thy goodness, in condescending to visit so 
poor, so vile, so abject a creature as I am. 
Thou hast vouchsafed to heap thy favours on 
dust and ashes — to come into this poor "cot- 
tage — this house of clay, my earthly habita- 
tion—and to feed my soul with the heavenly 
banquet of thy most precious body and blood. 
O teach me to entertain thee as S^ought, and 
to make thee some suitable return for this thy 
infinite love, i would gladly make thee some 



1 18 Prai/ers after Commtuiion. 

offering in acknowledgment of the rich present 
thou hast made me^ in giving thyself to me ; but 
ulas ! dear JLord, thou knowest my poverty, 
and that i have nothing wordiy of thy accept- 
ance ; nodiing but what, on a thousand titles, 
is already thine. But, O my bountiful Saviour, 
such is thy goodness, that thou wile be con- 
tented with the little 1 can give thee, alihough 
it be thine already. Thou askest nothing but 
iny heart, and this I most willingly ofler thee. 

0 be pleased to accept it, and make it wliolly 
thine for ever. Take full possession thereof. 

1 offer it to thee without reserve. 1 desire to 
consecrate it entirely to thy service. Disen- 
gage it, therefore, from this moment, from the 
slavery of its passions and vices. Stilie in it 
every desire but that of loving and ])Ieasing 
thee. Inflame it with the fire of divine charity, 
that it may ever burn with thy love. O may 
(he sw^eet flames thereof consume my soul, that 
so 1 may die to the world for the love of thee, 
w^hp hast vouchsafed to expire on th.e cross for 
the love of me. 1 cast myself entirely into the 
arms of thy mercy, and ofl'er thee my whole 
being; my body with all its senses, and my 
soul with all its powers ; that, as thou hast 
honoured them both by thy real ))resence, so 
they niuy both be thy tem|)le for ever, O 
sanctify and consecrate eternally to thy-elf this 
mansion, which thou hast, by a wonderful con- 
descension, chosen this day ibr thine abode; 
and grant tJjat, fike Zacciurus, 1 may obtain thy 
benediction. I offer thee my memory, that it 
^lay be ever recollected in thee ; my under- 



I^rayers ajber Lommumon. j If) 

standing, tliat.it maybe always directed and 
enlightened by thy truth; and niy will, that it 
may be ever conformable to thine, O take me 
entirely into thy hands, with all that 1 have, 
and all that 1 am; and let nothing hencefor- 
ward, either in life or death, ever separate rne 
from thee anv more. Make me accord mg to 
thy own lieart: and let my sou! be thy habita- 
tion for ever. Draw me most powerfully after 
thee, and guide my steps, diat i may cheerfully 
run into the paths of virtue, and walk in the 
way of thy precepts. Make me diligent in tha 
duties of my calhngand state of lite ; and teach 
me to do thy will in all things, l^et thy bless- 
ing be upon all my actions, and thy grace direct 
my intentions, that the whole course of my life, 
and the principal design of my heart, may ever 
tend to the advancement of thy glory, the good 
of my neighbour, and the eternal salvation of 
my soul. Amai. 

O MY soul, bless the Lord : and let all that 
is within thee praise and magnify his holy name.. 
Pay him the best homage thou art able, and in- 
vite Heaven and earth to join with thee in glo- 
rifying him for ever, O my God 1 that I couUi 
now give thee as much praise, honour, and 
glory, as the blessed spirits incevssantly give tliee 
in heaven ! O that 1 could adore thee with the 
spirit and affection of thine elect ! But as 1 am 
unable to do this, accept at least this my desire 
and good will. O ye Angels and Saints, bless 
my God for me ; thank niy L,ord for me: love 
my Jesus for me ; and sing forth his praises in 
supply of my defects. O beauty ever ancient 
and always new ! too late have 1 known thee ; 



]20 Prayers after Communion. 

too late bave I loved thee. When shall I live 
only in thee, by thee, and for thee alone. O 
my God and my All, when shall 1 see the day, 
when shall the happy time arrive, that, disgust- 
ed with the false happiness of this deceitful 
world, I shall seek comfort from thee alone, 
and find rest to my soul? O heavenly manna! 
O adorable sacrament ! O inestimable pledge of 
God's love to mankind ! O standing memorial 
of Christ's passion an-d death t O inexhausti- 
ble fountain of divine grace f O boundless mer- 
cy ! O divine charity !^ O sacred fire, ever burn- 
ing and never decaying? hail, O loving Jesus, 
my only pleasure and delight — the Joy of ,my 
soul and my portion for ever. Let my soul be 
sensible of the sweetness of thy presence. Let 
me taste how sweet thou art, O Lord. Purify 
my heart from the dross of all earthly affec- 
tions. Deliver me from my vicious customs. 
Kemove me from all baneful effects, of concu- 
piscence. Perfect me in charity, patience, hu- 
mility, obedience, and all other virtiies. May I 
rather die than ever n*ore offend thee by mortal 
sin \ O may 1 prove my gratitude by my fide- 
lity to so good a God ! Abolish the reign of 
sin, and establish the kingdom of grace in all 
hearts. Let the hght of thy countenance so 
shine upon all those w^ho are in the darkness of 
infidelity, as to dispel their errors. Grant 
peace and union to aU Christian princes, and 
preserve ns from the dreadful sct:>urjnres of war, 
famine, and pestilence. Convert all sinners; 
reconcile those who are at variance. Have 
mercy on iny pareotS; friends; and benefactors. 



Prayers after Communion, 12! 

Have mercy on all my enemies : forgive them 
their sins ; and iill both their hearts and mine 
with thy charity. Reform all abuses, and re- 
move all scandals from thycharch. Comfort 
all that are under any affliction, sickness, or 
violence of pain. Support those who are under 
temptation ; protect those that aiie in danger * 
and grant a happy passage to all that are in 
their last agony. Extend thy mercy likewise 
to the souls of al] the faithful departed, and 
admit them to the possession of thy eisernal 
glory. Grant relief to us all in our respective ne- 
cessities, the remission of our sins, the grace of 
final perseverance, and life everlasting. Ainen* 

ANOTHER PRAYER AFTER COMMUNIOX; 

Or when it has been received by tJie Sick as a Viaticum. 

O my gracious Saviour \ what greater Iiap- 
piness or comfort could 1 expect ! O wonderful 
condeseens-ion of my God ! O what return shall 
I in a ke him for his ineffable love ! He ^ whom 
the Saints, the Angels, and the whole heavenly 
host adore, hath given himself entirely to me^ 
ami now^, really and substantially, dwelletli 
within me ! Without any other induceuient but 
his pure mercy, he hath vouclisafed to visit, 
comibrt, and nourish my poor soul with the 
divine and heavenly banquet of his precious 
body and blood, with which he redeeu^ed me 
on the cross. May honour, praise, and glory 
be for ever paid thee, O my sweet Redeemer 
Jesus Christ! O that I could now^ give thee as 
much honour and glory as is incessantly given 



122 Prayers after Communion. 

thee by the whole choir of Heaven ! Accept, 
O Lord, my heart, ag a thanksgiving oilering 
for all thy favours and blessings. Accept niy 
^vhole being, for by every claim of right and 
justice it belongeth entirely to thee. 

And thou, O my soul, bless the Lord ; and 
let all that is within thee praise his holy name. 
O all ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord ; 
praise and glorify him for ever. O all ye angels 
of the Lord, bless the Lord ; magnify, praise, 
and glorify his holy name; because 1 have 
found the belovsd of my soul. Prostrate at 
his feet like the penitent Magdalen, I will em- 
brace him in spirit, and clasp him with the 
arms of inflamed love. And now, as 1 have 
actually received him on earth, may 1 not con- 
fidently hope for the perfect possession of him 
in Heaven ? 1 can now fear no evil, because 
thou, O Lord, art with me as my powerful 
guardian and protector \ Give me, therefore, 
thy blessing, O beloved Jesus! and establish 
an everlasting peace in my soul. Thou art the 
God of my heart, my portion and inheritance 
for ever. Let nothing in future be my comfort, 
but thou, myLord J^sus! nor let any thing 
afflict me hereafter but my sins, and whatever is 
displeasing to thy Divine Majesty. O soul of 
Christ, sanctify me — Body of Christ, save me — 
Blood of Christ, purify me — Water issuing from 
the side of Christ, w^ash me — Passion of Christ, 
strengthen me. O good Jesus, graciously hear 
me — hide me within thy wounds — suffer me 
never to be separated from thee — call me at the 
hour of deathj and command me to come to 



Ads after Corytfiiumon. 193 

tliee, that I may associate with the Saints and 
Angels, and the whole choir of celestial spirits, 
to sing forth canticles of praise and glory to 
thy lioly name for ever and ever, world without 
end. Ameriy Amen^ Amen^ sweet Jesus I 

ACTS OF VIRTUE 

AFTER COMMUNION. 

To he used according to each Person s leisure or opportunxti^, 

IV]' OW, whilst the plemtude of the Divinity dwell- 
eth corporally within you, meditate mo<t 
profoundly, with the Blessed \lrgin, upon the ^reat 
wonders which the Almigfhty hath wrought in your 
favour. Consider yourself as^ a living tabernacle, 
whei'ein resideth the Holy of Holies. Let this single 
reflection prevent all distractions, and keep your mind 
in the most perfect composure and recollection. 

AN ACT OF CONFIDENCE. 

Novr there was leaning an the bosom of Jesus one of hi;> 
disciples, whom Jesus loved." Johv, xiii. 15. \Mmt a 
glorious privilege was this which St. John had ! "What 
consolation must he not have felt from the impression of 
the Divinity! Wiat delightful repose! Pour forth thv 
heart, as he did Ids, into that of Jesus,^ and abandon thy- 
self to th« most lively sentiments of confidence. 

BEHOLD! here he is then, the treasure 
of my sou! ! 1 am mow in po-session of the 
Soverei'jn Good ! O what advantao;e upon earth 
can be. compared to this ! What glory \ what 
comfort I to feel my God so near me ! My 
soul hath found whom she loveth : I have hgld 



124 



Ads after Communion. 



of him, nor will I let him go." (Cant, ir.) 
The first thought, O God ! with which thy 
presence inspires ine, is a sentiment of adoration 
and respect. Permit me, then, in union with 
the blessed in Heaven, to offer thee my most 
profound homage. Yes, under these sacred 
veils, where thy love for me hath concealed the 
splendour of thy Majesty, 1 most humbly adore 
thee. I acknowledge thee as my master, my 
creator, and the supreme arbiter of my eternal 
destiny. The less thou wouklst make thyseSf 
for my sake, the more real respect and venera- 
tion have I for thee. But these thoughts are 
absorbed in the greatness of my confidence. 
This I cannot contain, nor yet am I able ta 
express it. If thou takest pleasure — if thou 
even enjoinest us to place our trust in thee ; is it 
not in this mystery, where thou dost communis 
cate thyself without reserve — where thou lite- 
rally verifiest that tender promise of treating us 
no longer as servants but as friends ? These 
words, which thou never didst addres5^ to thy 
Angels or Prophets, thou dost accomplish for 
sinners in this sacrament : yes, it would be 
an insult ofiered to thee, not to have the great- 
est hopes in thy mercy; for it is not here, O 
God, that thou exercisest thy justice : thou art 
glorious in Heaven ! all-powerful on earth ! 
and terrible in liell ! but, in the Eucharist^ thou 
art mild, consoling, sweet, and liberal. Ah! 
what canst thou refuse nie, when thou hast 
given me thyself? and where is the confidence 
that can be too tender? Why should 1 envy 
the beloved disciple who leaned on thy breast ai 



j^cts after Coynmnmort. 125 

thy last supper^ for dost thou not at present rest 
in my heart ? O let me, then, be for ever in- 
violably attached to thee ! Let the sweets of 
thy presence so captivate my soul, that, dis- 
gusted with sin, it may be fixed in the contem- 
plation of thee alone, and listen, with docility, 
to thy holy iF>spirations. All you, then, that 
" doubt of the goodness of God, come now 

and learn f come and admii'e ! come and 

taste with me his infinite mercies ! come and 
^' hear, all ye that fear God, and 1 will tell 

you what great things he bath done for my 
^' soul !" Psalm xiv. Who would have be- 
lieved it? What! one of his disciples, not 
prostrate at his feet, but reclining upon his 
breast, and honoui-ed with his particular affec- 
tion ! Yes, all this he hath done for him, and is 
ready to do the same for me also, — Behold 

the Lord my Saviour : I will act confidently, 
" and I will not fear." Isaias ii. " The 

mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever/" 
Psalm Ixxviii. 

AN ACT OP LOVE. 

** Lord, where art thou going? why cannot I follow thee 
now? I will lay down my life for thee.*' John xiii. 
How can I consent to be separated from thee" (saith 

** St. Peter to Jesus:) "no; I wiU never leave theey 
were I to follow thee even unto death.** This is a 

model of that generous love which a faithful soul should 

testify unto God in the holy Communion, 

IP I cannot approach thee, O my God, with 
as much confidence as thy Apostle St. Peter eHd, 
yet 1 come with equal warmth and sincerity to 



126 Acts after Communion. 

assure thee of my eternal attachment. Accept, 
therefore, the offering I now make thee, not 
only of n^y whole being, bnt of all I possess. 
Unhappy and miserable should I think myself, 
were 1 not in the disposition of mind to sacri- 
fice the most precious advantage this world can 
afford, at the first intimation of thy will. Dis- 
pose of the life thou hast given me according 
to thy pleasure. I offer myself entirely to thee ; 
my employments — talents — and every power 
and faculty of soul and body, that they may be 
ever and always en^^ployed in promoting thy 
honour and glory. In justice 1 am obliged, if 
necessary, to die for thee, since thou hast gene- 
rously given up thy life for my salvation. But 
thy regard for me, O sweet jesus, was not to 
be confined within the boundaries of this life; 
for, after having loved me, even unto death, 
thou hast besides left me this divine food as a 
.sensible pledge of thy affection. Ah, dear Lord ! 
what more couldst thou possibly do for me ? 
and how ungrateful a wretch would I not be, 
if such wonderful marks of thy tenderness were 
not capi3.ble of exciting the most lively senti- 
ments of love and gratitude in my soul ? The 
very damned would then be less culpable than 
1 ; for if they do not love thee, it is because 
tJicy cannot possibly love thee, and theiefore 
thou d()St not expect love from them. But 1 
can love thee, because every thing induces me 
to love thee^ and thou art even mercifiilly 
pleased to command that 1 should love thee 
with my whole heart, &c. O thou Eternal 
Beauty] too late have I begun to love thee : O 



Acts after Communion. 127 

amiable Lord ! who art ever lovely, and never 
sufficiently beloved, 1 consider every moment 
of my life as lost, which has not been conse- 
crated to thy love : accept, at least, the re- 
mainder thereof. If I cannot love thee as imich 
as 1 could wish, or as much as thou hast loved 
me, or as much as thou dost deserve, yet I will 
Jove thee as much as I am able. Angels of 
Heaven ! O Mother of God ! and all ye 
Saints ! lend me now your hearts ; for 1 have, 
alas ! but one to love my God, and that too 
small, and too much polluted with the love of 
creatures. Diminish in me, O Lord, all other 
advantages, provided thou dost grant me an in- 
crease of divine charity. I imagine, O my 
God, that thou art now enkindling this sacred 
fire within my breap.t, and that I could answer 
thee w^ith as much confidence as St. Peter — 

Lord, thou knowest 1 love thee," and that 
for thy sake alone ; I love thee with my whole 
heart, without reserve, firmly resolving never to 
fix my affections on any thing besides thyself. 
Yes, I am content to find nothing but disgust, 
bitterness, and afRiction, in every other attach- 
ment, that I may be thus happily compelled to 
repose in thee for ever. O establish now a 
solid, efficacious, lively, ardent, and persevering 
love within my heart ; and tliough thou remain 
therein but for a few moments, let the effectual 
influence of thy grace for ever remain behind. 

My beloved to me, and 1 to my beloved.'* 
Cant. xvi. " Thou knowest. Lord, that I love 
^' thee." John xxi. 



128 



Acts after Communion. 



AN ACT OF SUPPLICATION, 

Our Saviour's Last Supper was one continual Prayer, winds 
he offered up for his Apostles, and a most pressing invita- 
tion to solicit favours from him. " O Holy Fatiier,** 
says he, preserve those whom thou hast given me; for 
them I ask. Peter, I have asked for thee. Until now 
you have not asked for any thing ; ask, and you shall 
** receive." Here he exhorts us to pray for all those 
graces we stand most in need of. — He furtlier adds a mo<^t 
affecting and solid instruction, recommending them ear- 
nestly to persevere in his service : " Remain,'* says he, 
" in my love." He forewarned them of the trials they were 
to undergo ; he inculcated certain precepts ; he reproach- 
ed them witli some of their most striking defects. In 
this manner will he also speak privately to your heart ; 
he will make known his will to you ; he will tell you many 
tilings of which you have no notion, or which you dis- 
guise to yourself. Listen to him then witliout doubt, as 
the Apostles did, and ask him questions with the most 
sincere desire to accomplish his holy will, 

THOU art present within me, O inexhausti- 
ble source of all good : thou art full of tender- 
ness, and ready to shed all thy favours upon 
me. O shower them down most abundantly ! 
Consider my manifold wants : consider the 
immensity of thy power. Transform me, 
therefore, into a new man. Divest my heart of 
whatever is displeasing to thee. Adorn it with 
whatever may render me acceptable in thy sight* 
Purify my body. Sanctify my soul. Let me 
share in the merits of thy life and death. Unite 
thyself to me : unite me to thyself. Live thou 
in me, that in thee I also may hve, and never 
have life but for thy sake. Grant me those 
graces of which thou knovvest I stand most in 
need. Grant the same to all those for whom 



Ads after Communion. 129 

1 am bound to pray. Canst thou refuse me 
any thing, after what thou hast done for me ? 
AVhat may 1 not expect from thee, since thou 
hast given me thyself? — " I will not let thee go 
until thou dost bless me/' Gen. xxxii. S6. 
" Do to thy servant according to thy mercy." 

AN ACT OF OBLATION. 

IN crowning the innumerable gifts thou hast 
already bestowed upon me with the inestima- 
ble favour of giving me thyself, thou desirest to 
convince me that I should live but for thy sake 
alone, O God of goodness and mercy ! This, 

0 Lord, is what 1 also most fervently wish ; I 
would have all my thoughts, words, actions, 
and whatever designs 1 may form or put in exe- 
cution, for the time to come, always directed 
by a most perfect resiornation to thy holy will. 

1 desire that my liealth, fortune, strength, repu- 
tation, Uilents of mind and body — in a word, 
whatever relates to me either interiorly or exte- 
riorly — may be entirely disposed of to thy 
honour and glory. 1 consecrate the remainder 
of my life, without the least reserve, to thy 
divine service. 1 now make an offering unto 
thee of whatever pains or sufferings I may 
liereafter underj^o in my last sickness, and cheer- 
fully accept of whatever crosses thou mayest 
henceforth be pleased to afHict me with. " Into 

hands, O Lord^ I commend my spirit,'* 
Psalm XXX. 



ISO Acts after Communion. 

A RESOLUTION OF AMENDMENT. 
** That the xorld may know tliat I love the Father ; and as 
*^ the Father gave me a commandment, so I do. Arise, 
*^ let us go," saith Christ, {John xiii,) " instantly, and with- 
out hesitation, to execute his will.** Such is the generosity 
with which we should now, and at all times, resolve to 
■execute, in every particular, the commandments of the 
Aimighty. 

' BEHOLD, O my God, the moment is now 
come wherein I am to sacrifice those inclina- 
tiong to thee which thou hast so often den^anded, 
and which I was so miserably slothful as to 
have refused thee. I now see the danger to 
which my sluggish languor has exposed me, and 
am determined to avoid it. 1 will labour in- 
cessantly against my vicious habits. I am de- 
termined to quit the immediate occasion of sin. 
1 pledge myself to thee, and am satisfied to be 
treated as thine enemy, if these promises be not 
most sincere and determined. I will no longer 
resist thine inspimtions, nor allow myself those 
pleasures which thy law forbids, nor expose 
myself to the danger of offending thee. There 
shall be no more remissness in my duty, nor 
languor in my devotion. I do not make these 
promises through a spirit of presumption, (for I 
am convinced of my own insufficiency, and 
know, that, if abandoned by thee, I must ne- 
cessarily fall back into all my former disorders,) 
but being now united to thee, I flatter myself 
that, in spite of my frailty, 1 shall constantly per- 
severe in thy grace. Why should 1 not find 
the same strength in this divine sacrament 
which thy glorious Martyrs have derived from 
it ? It was here they imbibed that generous spi- 



Jcis after Communion. ISf 

rit of sufTering which could brave the power of 
tyrants, aiul smile on the horrors of death. And 
art thou now less faithful, less liberal, or less 
able to fonify me against the attacks of the 
enemies of niy salvation ? No. Come then ; it 
is full time I should bej^in the work of my sal- 
vation.. Thy will has been sufficiently de- 
clared to me ; 1 will hesitate no longer to put it 
in execution, how great soever the conflict may 
be against myself and the world. In fine, let 
me feel, O Lord, an experimental conviction of 
such a reformation of life, as may edify those 
whom my past conduct has scandalized, by 
convincing ihem that 1 do now really love 
thee. " Arise, let us go : I have sworn, and 
^' am resolved to keep thy commandments.**' 
" Psalm cxviii. Confirm, O God, what thou 
hast wrought in us." Psabn Ixxvi. 

AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING. 

" And having sung a hymn, they went out.** ThQ Apostles 
did not quit the room until they had previously testified 
their gratitude for so signal a favour : and it is our Saviour 
himself who shewed them the example ; for when he was 
just going to bless and consecrate the bread, he lifted up 
his eyes to his Heavenly Father, to return him thanks for 
having bestowed this favour upon mortals: " And giving 
thanks, he blessed, and broke, &c«'' Conclude your 
Communion in like manner, with the most tender effu- 
sions of gratitude to God. ' 

WHEN I reflect, O Lord, on the many 
favours thou hast conferred on me, I am over- 
whelmed with confusion, and feel my heart 
penetrated with such deep sentiments of grati- 
tude as cannot be expressed. 1 find myself, as 
it were, encompassed on all sides, and pressed 



S32 Ads after Communion. 

by thy goodness. It is thou thyself, O Lord, 
t\\ixi lovest nie^ in all those creatures from whom 
1 receive any benefit or advantage. My pa- 
rents from whom I received my existence, or 
my friends who have given me such proofs of 
their tenderness, are but the instruments of thy 
providence and the channels of thy mercies in 
my behalf. Thou art not only the God of the 
universe, but thou art also, in a particular 
manner, my God ! So interested art thou in all 
-that relates to me, tliat thy attention seems as if 
it were entirely fixed on me alone. Thou hast 
given me all thou hast made, all that I am, and 
all that thou art thyself: cannot 1 therefore, 
with as much reason as David, call thee ''The 
^' God of n^y salvation aod my mercy: my 
" refuge and my support : my treasure and my 
^' inheritance?" Nay move, dost thou not at pre- 
sent vouchsafe to become my ver?^ subsistence^ 
by not only giving thyself to fortify my weak- 
ness, and as a pledge of eternal life, but also 
that 1 may be nourished with thy lery Jlesh 
and blood? How great, therefore, must my in- 
gratitude be, if I do not make a cordial return 
for such infinite love! O my God, suffer me 
sooner to forget n)yself, than to be ever unmind- 
ful of this (jreat favour. Although i have been 
treacherous, fearful, and a prevaricator, yet I 
shall never be guilty of ingratitude^ since I 
should blush at this vice even in my commerce 
with men. But still, what return can I make 
thee, being of myself insolvent, indigent, and 
miserable ? Behold ! the treasure is at hand !— 
ihe gift 1 have nov/ received from thee enables 
me to repay thee for all thy other benefits* 



Acts after Communion. 1S3 

The sacrifice of all that I am, or have^ is not 
worthy to be presented to thee : but in offering 
thee thyself^ I consider my debts as abundantly 
discharged. May thy infinite merits be for ever 
exalted, for having fi^iven me such excellent 
means of repaying, to the full^ the infinite obli- 
gations I owe thee. — Wliat return shall I 
make to the Lord for all those thino^s which 
he has given unto me ?" Ps, cxv. He hath 
^' made a memorial of his wonderful works, 
behig a merciful and gracious Lord : he hath 
given food to them that fear him." Ps. xc. 

Do not limit the devotion of this day to the fore- 
going prayers, but rather consider it as entirely con- 
secrated to Jesus Christ ; that by this means you may 
literally accomplish the precept of the Holy Ghost : 
" Let no part of a good day escape without profit." 
Ecc, xiv. Recollect frequently this great action ; 
and read some pious book to nourish and enliven a 
spirit of devotion. Remark, (or, if convenient, 
write dowTi,) some of those tender sentiments and 
good resolutions with which you were affected at the 
time of communion : the recollection of them will 
serve as a bulwark to guard you against the attacks 
of tepidity or dr}Tiess. But, above all, endeavour 
to regulate your conduct for the time to come in such 
a manner as to be enabled to say, with St. Paul, " I 
" live — not I, but Christ Jesus liveth in me." In a 
word, let your Redeemer only^ for the future, tldiik^ 
speaky and act in you ; and let notliing remain in you 
that is unworthy of him, for no scandal can be 
more injurious to our holy Religion, than for Catho- 
lics, after communicating, to lead disedifying and 
1 1 imchristian lives. 

H 



( 134 ) 



THE 

SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS; 

Proper to be said on Fasting Days, and other Penitential 
Times. 

Anthem, 

EMEMBER not, O Lord, our offences, 
nor those of our Parents; neither take 
thou vengeance on our sins. 

Psalm vi. Dominej ne in furore. 

The Psalmist prays to be healed from sickness, and implores 
pardon for his sins. After obtaining his request, he 
exults over his enemies. 

OLORD5 rebuke me not in thy indignation; 
nor chastise me in thy wrath. 
Take pity on me, O Lord, for I am weak : I 
}ieal me, O Lord, for all my bones are shaken. 

And my soul is troubled exceedingly ; but 
thou, O Lord, how long ? 

Return, O Lord, and deliver my soul; O 
save me for thy mercies' sake. 

For in death there is none that is mindful of 
thee : and who shall confess to thee in Hell ? 

I have tired myself with my groanings: every 
night I will wash my bed, 1 will water my 
couch with my tears. 

My eye is disturbed with rage: I am grown 
old amidst all mine enemies. 

Depart from me all ye that work iniquity : 
for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weep- 
ing. 

The Lord hath heard my {petition ; the Lord 
bath received my prayer. 




The Seven Peniie^ilial Psalms. 1S5 



Let all my enemies be ashamed, and very 
much troubled ; let them be turned back and 
put to shame very speedily. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Psalm xxxi. Beati quorum. 

The Psalmist declares all those happy whose sins are for- 
given; and, from his own example, and that of the Saints, 
exhorts all to seek this beatitude, and to avoid brutal 
obstinacy. Rewards and punislnnents are proposed. 

BLESSED are they whose iniquities are 
foro^iven, and whose sins are covered. 

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath 
not imputed sin ; and in whose soul there is no 
guile. 

Because I was silent^ my bones grew old; 
whilst 1 cried all the day. 

For day and night thy hand was heavy upoa 
me : I am covered in my anguish^ whilst the 
thorn is fastened. 

I have acknowledged my sin to thee; and 
my injustice 1 have not concealed. 

I said, I will confess against myself my in- 
I justice to the Lord ; and thou hast forgiven the 
'l impiety of my sin. 

For this shall every one that is holy pray to 
thee in a seasonable time. 

Yet in the deluge of many waters, they 

!i shall not approach him. 
1 Thou art my refuge from the tribulation 
which hath surrounded me : my joy, deliver 
i me from them that encompass me. 
I 1 will give thee understanding, and I will 

i, instruct thee in the way in which thou shalt go : 
i 1 will fix my ey^ upon thee. 



136 The Seven Pemieniial Psalms. 



Do not become like the horse and mule, that 
have no understanding. 

With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws 
who do not approach thee. 

Many are the scourges of the sinner : but 
mercy shall encompass him that hopelh in the 
Lord. 

Be joyful in the Lord, and rejoicej ye just ; 
and glory, all ye upright of heart. 
Glory, &c. 

Psalm xxxvii. Dominej ne in furore. 

The Psalmist, im sickness, and neglected by his friends, begs 
of God to pardon his sins, and to assist and heal him. 

0 LORD, rebuke me not in thy indigna- 
tion : nor chastise me in thy wrath. 

For thy arrows are fastened in me : and thy 
hand hath been strong upon me. 

There is no health in my flesh, because of 
thy wrath : there is no peace in my bones, 
because of my sins. 

For my iniquities are gone over my head : i 
and, as a weighty burden, are become heavy 
upon me, ' 

My sores are putrlfied and corrupted, be- | 
cause of my foolishness. 

1 am become miserable, and am bowed down ■ 
even to the end : I walked sorrowful all the day. 

For my loins are filled with illusions : and i 
there is no health in my flesh. 

1 am afflicted and humbled exceedingly : I ! 
roared in the groaning of my heart. | 

O Lord, my desire is before thee : and my 



The Seven Penitential Psalms. \ol 



My heart is troubled, my strength hath left 
nie : and the light of mhie eves it&elf is not with 
me. 

My friends and my neighbours have drawn 
near, and stood up against me. 

And they that were near me stood afar off: 
and they that sought my soul used violence. 

And they that sought evils to me, spoke vain 
things : and studied deceits all the day long. 

But 1, as one deaf, did not hear: iind as 
one dumb, that opened not his mouth. 

And 1 became as a man that heareth not : 
and that hath no reproofs in his mouth. 

For in thee, O Lord, have 1 hoped : thou 
wilt hear me, O T^ord my God. 

For I said, lest at any time mine enemies re^ 
joice over me : and whilst my feet are moved, 
they speak great things against me. 

For I am prepared for scourges : and my sor- 
row^ is always in my sight. 

For I will declare my iniquity : ^nd I will 
think of my sin. 

But my enemies live, and are become 
stronger than 1 : and they are multiplied who 
hate me unjustly. 

And they that return evil for good have de- 
j i$:acted me, because I f jllow^ed goodness. 

Forsake me not, O Lord my God : depart 
not thou from me. 

Come unto niy aid, O Lord^ tlie God of 
my salvation. 

Glory^ &c, 

lis 



138 The Seve7i Penitential Psalms. 



Psalm 1. Miserere, 

The Psalmist begs pardon for the sins of adultery and mur- 
der, not through the Mosaic sacrifices, but through Christ, 
who was to come and establish his Church, and by his 
Sacrifice appease the injured juii^tice of God. 

HAVE mercy on me, O God, according to 
' tliy great mercy : and according to the multitude 
oFthy tender mercies, blot out mine iniquity. 

Wash me yet more and more from my 
iniquity : and cleanse me from my sin. 

Because I know my iniquity : and my sin is 
always before me. 

Against thee only have I sinned, and done 
evil before thee : that thou mayest be justified 
in thy words, and mayest overcome when thou 
art judged. 

For behold I was conceived in iniquities : 
and in sins hath my mother conceived me. 

For behold thou hast loved truth : the secret 
and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast 
made known to me. 

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I 
shall be cleansed : thou shalt wash me, and I 
shall be made whiter than snow. 

To my hearing thou shalt give joy and glad- 
ness : and the bones that are humbled shall 
rejoice. 

Turn away tliy face from my sins : and blot 
owi all mine iniquities. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God : and 
renew an upright spirit wdthin my bowels. 

Cast me not away from thy face : and lake 
not thy holy spirit from me. 



The Seve7i Peniteniial Psahm, JS9 



Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: 
and connrm me with a perfect spirit. 

I will teach thy ways to the unjust : and sin- 
ners shall be converted to thee. 

Deliver me from blood, O God, the God of 
my salvation : and my tongue shall extol thy 
justice. 

Thou, O Lord, wilt open my hps : and my 
mouth sliall declare thy praise. 

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, verily I 
had given it : with burnt oflerings thou wilt 
not be delighted. 

A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit : a 
contrite and humble hearty O God^ thou wilt 
not despise. 

Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will 
with Sion : that the walls of Jerusalem may be 
built up. 

Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of jus- 
tice, oblations, and whole burnt offerings : then 
shall they lay calves upon thine altar. 

Glory, &c. 

^ Psalm ci. Domine^ exaiidi. 

The Psalmist begs for mercy upon Sioiit tliat he will raiae 
out of it his Church, to which kings and people may 
come and praise God. — A prayer of the poor man, whea 
he was anxious, and poured out his supplications before 
the Lord. 

O LORD, hear my prayer : and let my cry 
come unto thee. 

Turn not away thy face from me: in what 
day soever I am in tribulation, incline thine 
ear to me. 

In wlmt day soever I sliall call upon thee^ 
hear me speedily. 



]40 The Seven Peiiiiential Psalms, 



For my days are vanished like smoke : and 
my bones are withered like fuel for the fire. 

I am smitten, and my heart is withered like 
grass ; because 1 forgot to eat my bread. 

Through the voice of my groaning, my bones 
have cleaved to my flesh. 

I am become like a pelican of the wilderness 5 
I am become like a night raven in the house. 

I have watched, and am become as solitary 
as a sparrow upon the house-top. 

My enemies upbraided me all the day long ; 
and they that praised me swore against me. 

For 1 did eat ashes like bread : and mingledl 
my drink with my tears. 

Because of thy wrath and indignation : for 
having lifted me up, thou hast cast me down. 

My days have declined like a shadow : and 
I am withered like grass. 

Bilt thou, O Lord, remainest for ever : and 
thy memory is from generation to generation. 

Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion : 
for the time to have mercy on it is come. 

For the stones thereof have pleased thy ser- 
vants : and they &hall have pity on the earth 
thereof. 

And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, Q 
Lord, and all the Kings of the earth thy glory* 

For the Lord hath built up Sion : and he 
shall be seen in his glory. 

He hath regard to the prayer of the humble 5 
and he hath not despised their petition. 

Let these things be written unto another 
generation : and a people to be created shall 
praise the Lord, 



The Seroen Penitent (al Psalms. 141 

Because he hath looked forth from his hii(li 
snnctuary : the Lord from Heaven hath looked 
doW)i upon the earth ; 

That he might hear the groans of them that 
are in fetters ; that he might unbind the chil* 
dren of them that are slain. 

That they may declare the name of the Lord 
in Sion ; and his praise in Jerusalem. 

In the assembling of the people together in 
one: and kings to serve the Lord. 

He answered me in the way of his strength : 
Declare unto me the fewness of my days. 

Call me not back in the midst of my days : 
Thy years are from generation unto generation. 

In the beginning, O Lord, thou didst found 
the earih : and the heavens are the works of 
thy hands. 

They shall perish, but thou remainest ; and 
they shall all grow old as a garment; 

And as a vestment thou shalt change them, 
and they shall be changed : but thou art always 
the self-same, and thy years shall not fail. 

Tlie children of thy servants shall continue; 
and their seed shall be directed for ever. 

Glory, &c. 

Psalm cxxix. De profundis. 

The Psalmist earnestly begs pardon, foretelling Rodemption 
through Christ. 

FilOM the depths I have cried unto thee, 
OLord: Lord, hear my voice. 

Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my 
petition. 



142 The Seven Penitential Psalms. 



If thou wilt observe iniquities, O Lord ! 
Lord, who will endure it ? 

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness : 
and on account of thy law 1 have expected thee. 
O Lord. 

My soul hath relied on his word : my soul 
hath hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning w^atch even until night, 
let Israel hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord there is mercy ; and 
with him, plentiful redemption. 

And he shall redeem Israel from all its 
iniquities. Glory, &c. 

Psalm cxlii. Domine^ exaudi. 

The Psalmist prays that God would not regard him according 
to his merits, but look upon his miseries, and deliver him 
from them, and also from his enemies. 

0 LORD, hear my prayer : give ear to my 
petition in thy truth ; hear me in thy justice. 

And enter not into judgment with thy ser- 
vant: for in thy sight no man living shall be 
justified. 

For the enemy hath persecuted my soul : he 
hath humbled my life to the earth. 

He hath made me dwell in darkness, as those 
who have been dead of old : my spirit is in 
anguish upon me, and my heart is troubled 
within me. 

1 remembered the days of old, I meditated 
on all thy works : on the works of thy hands 
did 1 meditate. 

I stretched forth my hands to thee : unto 
thee my soul is as earth without water. 



The LHany of Saints. MS 

Hear me speedily, O Lord : my spirit hath 
fainted away. 

Turn not away thy face from me : lest I be 
like unto them that go down into the pit. 

Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning : 
for 1 have hoped in thee. 

Make the way known to me wherein I should 
walk : for I have lifted up my soul to thee. 

Deliver me from mine enemies, O Lord : to 
thee have 1 fled : teach me to do thy will, for 
thou art my God. 

Thy good spirit shall conduct me into the 
way of righteousness : for thy name's sake, O 
Lord, thou wilt quicken me in thy justice. 

Thou wilt bring forth my soul out of tribu- 
lation : and in thy mercy thou wilt destroy 
mine enemies. 

And thou wilt destroy all those that afflict 
my soul : for 1 am thy servant. 

Glory, &c. 

Anthem, 

REMEMBER not, O Lord, our offences, 
nor those of our parents ; and take not revenge 
of our sins. 



THE MTAKY OP SAINTS. 

LORD have mercy on us. 
Christ have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy upon us. 
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven^ have mtrcy upon us. 



114 The hilar} y of Saints. 

God tlie Son, Redeemer of the World^ have 

mercy upon us, 
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy upon vs. 
Holy Trinitv, one God, have mercy upon us. 
Holy Maw/ 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of Virgins, 
St. Michael, 
St. Gabriel, 
St. Raphael, 

All ye holy Angels and Archangels, 
All ye holy orders of blessed Spirits, 
St. John B^^ptist, 
St. Joseph, 

All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, 
St. Peter, 
St. Paul, 
St, Andrew, 
St. James, 
St. John, 
St. Thomas, 
St. James, 
Si. Philip, 
St. Bartholomew, 
St. Matthew, 
St. Simon, 
St. Thaddens, 
St. Matthias, 
St. Barnaby, 
St. Luke, 
St. Mark, 

All ye holy Apostleis and Evangelists, 
All ye holy Dij^ciples of our Lord, 
All ye holy Innocents, 



S5 



The Ltiany of Saints. 

St. Stephen, 
St. Laurence, 
St. Vincent^ 

SS. Fabian and Sebastian, 

SS. John and Paul, 

SS. Cosmas and Datnian, 

SS. Gervase and Prolase, 

All ye holy Martyrs, 

St. Sylvester, 

St. Gregory, 

St. Anribrose, 

St. Augustine, 

St. Jerome, 

St. Martin, / 

St. Nicholas, 

All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, 

All ye holy Doctors, 

St. Anthony, 

St. Bennet, 

St. Bernard, 
! St. Dominick, 
I St. Francis, 

All ye holy Priests and Levites, 

All ye holy Monks and Hermits, 

St. Mary Magdalene, 

St. Agatha, 

St. Lucy, 

' St. Agnes, 

St. Cecily, 

St. Catherine, 

St. Anastasia, 

All ye holy Virgins and Widows, 
All ye Men and Women, Saints of God, 
intercession for us. 

I 



146 The Litany of Saints. 

Be merciful to us : Spare'us^ O Lord. 
Be merciful to us: Graciousli/ hear O Lo 
From all evil, 
From all sin, 
!From thy wrath, 

From sudden and unprovided death. 
From the deceits of the Devil ^ 
From anger, hatred, and all ill-will, 
From the spirit of fornication, 
From lightning and tempest, 
From everlasting death, 
Through the mystery of thy holy incarna- 



tion, 



Through thy coming, 
Through thy nativky. 
Through thy baptism and holy fasting, 
Through thy cross and passion, 
Through thy death and burial, 
Through thy holy resurrection, 
Through thy admirable ascension, 
Through the coming of the Holy Ghost, 

the Comforter, 
In the day of judgment, 

'We sinners beseech thee to hear us. 
That thou spare us. 
That thou pardon us. 
That thou vouchsafe to bring us to true 
penance. 

That thou vouchsafe to govern and pre- 
serve thy holy church, 

That thou vouchsafe to preserve our apos- 
tolic prelate, and all ecclesiastical orders 
in thy holy religion, 

That tliou vouchsafe to humble the enemies 
of thy holy Church; 



Hi 

So 

Hi 



J he JLilany of batnis. 147 

That thou vouchsafe to give peace and true 
concord to Christian kings and princes, 

That thou vouchsafe to grant peace and 
unity to all Christian people, 

That thou vouchsafe to confirm and pre- 
serve us in thy holy service. 

That thou lift up our minds to heavenly 
desires. 

That thou render eternal good things to all » ^ 

our benefactors, i S 

That thou deliver our souls, and those of 

our brethren, kinsfolk, and benefactors, 

from eternal damnation, 
Tliat thou vouchsafe to give and preserve 

the fruits of the earth. 
That thou vouchsafe to give eternal rest 

to all the faithful departed. 
That thou vouchsafe graciously to hear us,-^ 

Son of God, We he seech thee to hear us. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Spare us^ O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world : Hear us^ O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
the world, Haze mercy vpon us. 

Christ hear us ! Christ graciously hear us I 

Lord have mercy upon us ! Christ have mercy 
i upon us ! Lord have mercy upon us ! 

Our Father, &c. ( in secret.) 

V. And lead us not into temptation ; 

It. But deliver us from evil. Amen» 
Psalm Ixix. 

INCLINE unto mine aid; O God: 
jLord; make haste to help me. 
^ 12 



148 The Litany of Saiiits. 

Let lliem be confounded and ashamed tliat 
seek my soul. 

Let them forthv/ith be turned backward, and 
blush for shame, that desne evils to me. 

Let them be turned backward, and blush, 
and be put to shame^ who say to me, it is well ! 
it is well ! 

Let all that seek thee be glad and rejoice 
in thee: and let those who love thy salvation 
say always, Our Lord be magnified." 

But 1 am needy and poor ! O God, help me. 

Thou art my helper and my deliverer I O 
Lord, make no delay. 

V, Glory be to the Father, Sec. 

-/?. As it was, &c. 

V, Save thy servants, 

Jl. Who put their trust in thee, my God. 

V. Be to us, O Lord^ a tower of strengili. 

R. Against the face of the enemy. 

V. Let not the enemy prevail against us : 

Jt, Nor the son of iniquity have power to 
hurt us. 

V. O Lord, deal not with us according to 
our sins : 

It* Nor reward us according to our iniquities. 
V, Let us pray for our chief Bishop, [^riame 
him J] 

It. May the Lord preserve him, and prolong 
Ills life, and make him hap|)y on earth, and 
deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. 

V, Let us pmy for our benefactors. 

IL Vouchsafe, O Lord, for thy name's sake, 
to render eternal life to ail those who do uS; 
good. 



Th€ Litany of SainU. 119 

V, Let us pray for the faithful departed. 

72. Give them, O Lord, eternal rest ; and 
let peipetual hglu shine unto them. 

F. Alay they rest in peace, li. Amen. 

V. For our absent brethren. 

R, Save thy servants, O my God, Avho put 
their trust in thee. 

V. Send them help, O Lord, from thy sanc- 
tuary : 

R. And from Sion protect them. 

O Lord, hear my prayer ; 
Ji, And let my supplication come unto thee. 
V. May the Lord be ^vith you. 
it. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

O GOD, whose property it is always to have 
mercy and to spare, receive our petitions^ that 
vve and all thy servants, who are bound by 
the chain of sin, niay, by the compassion of 
thy goodness, mercifully be absolved. 

Hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the pray- 
ers of thy suppliants, and pardon our sins, 
who confess them to thee ; that, of thy bounty, 
thou mayest grant us pardon and peace. 

Out of thy clemency, O Lord, shew us 
thy unspeakable mercy ; that so tliou mayest 
i)Oth acquit us of our sin?^ and deliver us 
Irom the punishment we deserve for them. 

O God, who by sin art otlendetl. and 
pacified by repentance,, mercifully regard tlio 
prayers of thv people, who make supplication 
to thee, and turn away the scourges of tliy 
anger, which we deserved for our sins. 



150 The Litany of Saints. 

O Almighty and eternal God, have mercy 
on thy servant ( N)^ our chief Bishop, and 
direct him, according to thy clemency, in the 
way of everlasting salvation, that, by thy grace, 
f he may desire the things that are agreeable to 
thy will, and perform them with all his strength. 

O God, from whom are all holy desires, 
righteous counsels, and just works, give to thy 
servants that peace which the world cannot 
give; that our hearts being disposed to keep 
thy commandments, and the fear of enemies 
taken away, the times, by thy protection, may 
be peaceable. 

Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts 
with the fire of thy holy spirit, that we may 
serve thee w^ith a chaste body, and please thee 
with a clean heart. 

O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the 
faithful, give to the souls of thy servants de- 
[y parted the remission of all their sins, that by 
pious supplications they may obtain the pardon 
they have always desired. 

Model, we beseech thee, O Lord, our 
actions by thy holy inspirations, and carry 
them on by thy gracious assistance ; that every 
prayer and work of ours may always begin 
from thee, and by thee be happily ended. 

O Almighty and eternal God, who hast do- 
minion over the living and the dead, and art 
merciful to all whom thou foreknowest shall be 
thine by faith and good works ; we humbly be- 
seech thee, that they for whom we have pur- 
posed to offer our prayers, w^hether this present 
world still detains them in the flesh, or the next 



Motives to perseverance in Virtue. 151 

world hath already received them divested of ' 
their bodies, may, by the clemency of thine ovvn 
goodness and the intercession of thy Saints, ob- 
tain pardon and fiill remission of all their sins; J 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and \ 
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy i 
Ghost, one God, world without end. i 
R. Amen. 

V. May the Lord be with you ; 
R. And with thy spirit. 

V. May the almighty and merciful Lord \ 
graciously hear us. J 
R. Amen. \ 
V. May the souls of the faithful departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Amen. \ 

MOTIVES 

WliicK should excite us to sxqyport the Crosses of this \ 
Life witJi Cheerfulness y \ 

Aiid persevere till Death in the practice of Virtue, \ 

^INCE all things co-operate for the good of those ■ 
^ who love God, and as God knows how to pro- ' 
duce good out of evil, for whom should he do it, if 
not for those who give themselves up to him ^nthout \ 
reserve ? Nay, he even makes their past sins contri- ; 
bute towards their good ; as is evident in the cases 
of David, St. Peter, and Mary Magdalene. ^ ; 

When God lays the filth and deformity of sin- be- 1 
fore our eyes, it is in order that we should be cap- j 
tivated with the beauty of virtue ; if he casts us flat 'j 
on the earth, as he did St. Paul, it i^ with a view to 
raise us up again to a higher pitch of glory, 

1 4 ; 



J 52 Motives io persexerance in Virtue, 

If God were not actviall? our Father, he never 
would hava commanded m to say " Our Father, who 
art in Heaven." What tlien }iave the children of 
Rucli a father to fear ? Vvlthout his pernuKsion not 
a single hair of our heads can fall to the ground. 
Since, therefore, we are the children of Almighty 
God, 18 it not the most unaccountahle folly in us to 
he oxev solicitous about any otlier concern than that 
of persevering-, till death, in his love and service ? 
The test of our love towards God is the observance 
of his commandments ; and its recompense, no less 
than the possession of himself. If any one love 
me," saith Jesus Christ, (John xiv. 23,) " he will 
keep my word, and niy Father will love him, and we 
will come unto him, and maJce our abode with him." 

" When I sent you without scrip or staff," saith 
Christ to his Apostles, ** did you want any thing?" 
They answered, " No." Have we not suffered 
afflictions when as yet we had little or no confidence 
in God, and did we perish under these afflictions? — 
*' Ko." How, then, can we entertain thoughts of 
despondency, or betray a want of courage in adver- 
sity? — for if God hath hitherto protected us, not* 
withstanding the little or no reliance we had on hia 
providence, can it be supposed that he will forsake 
us, wh(»n, plRcin£»: our whole confidence in him, we 
put on the determined resolution of dedicating the 
remainder of our lives to his love and service? Ah ! 
no, he assuredly will not. Why, then, should we 
perplex ourselves with apprehensions of future evils, 
which perhaps will nevex befal us ? or, on tlie sup- 
position tliey did, will not God enable us by his 
p-ace to support them with Christian fortitude ? He 
commanded St. Peter to walk to him on the water: 
Peter, terrified by the blustering of the wind and 
the turbulence of the waves, and under the dreadful 



Motite^ to perseverance in Virtue. 153 

appn^ieusion of iiiiniediately sinking- to the bottom, 
calls out to Lis Divine Master for assistance. When 
God in like manner ordains that you siioidd walk on 
the boisterous waves of adversity, take coin*ap:e and 
fear not ; for be assured he is actually present, and 
will stretch forth his hand to your ai^sistance as he 
did to 8t. Peter. 

Our condition in this short and flceti]i<r life is an 
object of little consequence, provided that in the 
e;id we are admitted to tlie et-ernal enjoyment of God 
and his j^lory. Do we not, at every step we tread, 
ap|>i'oach nearer and nearer to eternity ? Nay, have 
we not oiu- feet, for ought we know to the contraiy, 
on the very brink of it this moment ? What, there- 
fore, doth it signif)^, whether our pilgrimage through 
life be chequered with afflictions or not, provided it 
terminates in a happy eternity? Can we possibly 
repine under shoit-lived sufferings, wdiilst we await 
tljeir recompense in never-ending consolations ? Ah ! 
A\'hatever has not eternity for its object is, in reality, 
nothing but fleeting vanity. 

Awake, therefore, O my soul ! Let us cast oiF 
the . i^-orks of darkness, and put on the armour of 
light." Let us humbly beseech the Father of 
Mercies and God of all Comfort, who consoleth us 
in all our afiiictions, to inspire us with the same sen- 
timents as tlie Apostle had when he exclaimed, " Far 
be it from me, that I should glory in any tlting but 
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ah ! were 
the cro.vs of our crucified Saviour but deeply implanted 
in our hearts, the most bitter crosses of tliis woi'ld 
would then appear as sweet as roses. The heart 
that is in] pressed with a lively sense of the crown of 
thorns which pierced the tender head of our suffering 
Redeemer, -will feel but little or no pain from the 
tritling scratches of worlfllv afflictions. 

I 5 



< 154 ) 



DEVOTIONS 

FOn EVERY DAY IN THE WEEIC. 

"ffT was an ancient and pious practice among the 
faitliful, to dedicate every day in the week to some 
particular devotion. Conformably with this custom, 
a Prayer is here given for each of those days, to be 
said immediately after Morning Prayers, or at any 
other time of the day, as each person s leisure, from 
the necessary occupations of his state of life, may 
permit. But it is to be observed, tliat the worship 
of the Mystery, or the devotion of the Saint we 
purpose to honour, consists less in the prayer itself, 
than in the practical instructions which it contains. 

SUNDAY, 

Which, by way of pre-eminence over the rest of the days of 
the week, is called the Day of the Lord, is happily chosen 
to render homage, in a more special manner, to the most 
Holy Trinity, and to thank those three adorable Persons 
for the inestimable blessings we have received. It would 
be irreligious, therefore, if not impious, to spend tliis day 
in idle amusements, or in the management of temporal 
concerns, whilst we are strictly obliged, both by the pre- 
cepts of God and his Church, to sanctify it, as well as 
every holy-day of obligation, by assisting at the divine 
offices, hearing sermons or cateclietical discourses, read- 
ing pious books, employing ourselves in the exercise of 
corporal or spiritual works of mercy, and especially in 
making solid reflections on the most important of all atTairs 
—the affair of our eternal salvation. 

Prayers to the Holy Triniti/, 

GLORY be to the Father, who by bis al- 
mighty power hath created ine^ and made me 



Devotions for Mondaj/. 155 

to his own image and likeness. Glory be to 
the Son, who by his v/isdom hath delivered 
me from Hell, and opened for me the gates of 
Heaven. Glory be to the Holy Gliost, v;ho in 
his mercy hath sanctified me by baptism, and 
who incessantly worketh my sanctification by , 
the fresh graces I daily receive from his bounty. 
Glory be tc the Three adorable Persons of the 
blessed Trinity, which was as great at thie be- 
ginning as he now is, or will be for ever and ever. 

We adore thee, O Holy Trinity ! we reve« 
rence thee ; we thank thee, with the hnmbiest 
sentiments of gratitude, for having been pleased 
to reveal to us this glorious and incompreliensi- 
b!e mystery. Grant, that, by persevering in 
this faith till death, we may see and glority in 
Heaven what we believe here below on Earth — 
one God in three divine Persons, the Father, 
the Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen, 

♦ 

MONDAY. 

Ar.THOUGH the three adorable Persons of the Blessed Trinity 
concur unaiiimouslr ii> the sanciiiication of our souls, oar 
spiritual regeneration, and all the r^races we receive from 
Heaven, are, nevertheless, attributed more especially to the 
operations of the Holy Ghost ; because these favours being 
the eiiects of God's love towards ii£., we acknov/ledge hiiu 
as the author of them, who is tha love of the Father and 
the Son. 

It is inconceivable what blessed effect.^ this Divine Spirit 
produces in the souls of such pei'r^ons as oppose no obstacles 
to his operations. What abundance of light and strength 
doth he not communicate by Iiis seven ^^Sis, and tliois 
fruits and beatitudes which peculiarly flow from liis bouaty, 
if, with fidelity and attenrion, vre are docile to liis ia- 
spirations. 



156 Devotions for Movdajj. 

Let us tlien rejoice, at being undtT the conduct of so wise 
and beneficent a guide; let us continually study the 
motions of oar hearts ; let us follow those which the Holy 
Spirit produces, and which alone can vanquish every evil 
incliiiaticn excited in us, either by tlie corruptness of out 
nature, or the machinatipns of our spiritual enemy; let 
us dread nothing so much as to resist, or desire notliing 
so much as to preserve, his grace ; or, if we have incurred 
the misfortune of losing it by sin, let us have immediata 
recourse to the sacrament of reconciliation, by which we 
may regain it, and live more attentive to our spiritual 
"Welfare in future, 

A Prnytr to the Holi/ Ghost. 

AUTHOR of the sanctification of our souls, 
Spirit of Love and Truth ! 1 adore thee as the 
primary source of luy eternal happiness; I 
thank thee as the sovereiorn dispenser of the 
'benefits I receive from on high ; 1 uivoke thee 
as the beneficent giver of that portion of light 
and strength which thou knowest to be necessary 
for me in the practice of good works. Spirit of 
Wisdom ! enlighten my understanding, fortify 
my willj purify my heart, regulate ail its motions, 
and grant me an attentive docility to all thy 
lioiv inspirations. 

Pardon, O Spirit of Grace and ?vlercy ! par- 
don my continual infidelities, and the unworthy 
})lindness with which 1 have so often refused to 
correspond with the most tender and moving in- 
spirations of thy grace. I purpose for the future, 
"^vilh thy assistance, to cease to be rebellions, 
and to ibllow the inotions of thy grace with so 
much ilocility, as may enable me to taste the 
Ihiits and erijoy tliose beatitudes w hich are pro- 
duced m our souls by the infusion of thy sacred 
gifts* Amen, 



Devotions for Tuesday. 157 



TUESDAY. 

We ought to liava siicli profountl seiHiinents of respect, gra- 
titude, love, and ooufidence, towards our Guardian Angels, 
as the dignity of their nature, their tendt?r care of us, and 
the 9olicitud« they conceive for our welfare, require. Let 
us then incessantly invoke their assistance ; let us consult 
them in all our undertakings ; let us frequently beseech 
them to procure the joint intercession of the heavenly host, 
their companions in glory, in our behalf ; but, above all, 
let us be particularly docile in their holy inspirations. 

Prayer to our Guardian Angel, 

O HOLY ANGEL, xvhom God, by the 
effect of his goodness and the tender regard for 
niy welfare, hath charged with the care of my 
conduct ; wlio doth assist me in all my wants, 
and comfort me in all my afflictions; who sup- 
porteth me when I am discouraged, and conti- 
nually obtaineth for me new favours; 1 return 
thee profound thanks, and conjure thee, most 
amiable Protector ! to continue thy charitable 
care and defence of me against tlie malignant 
attacks of all my enemies. Keep me at a dis- 
tance from all occasions of sin. Obtain for me 
the grace of hearkening attentively to thy holy 
inspirations, and of faithfully reducing them to 
practice. Protect me in all the temptations and 
trials of this life, but more especially at the 
hour of death ; and do not quit me till thou 
hast conducted me into the presence of my 
Creator, in the mansions of everlasting hap- 
piness. Amen. 



15S Devotions for Wednesday/. 



WEDNESDAY. 

The gloriou?5 functions wherewith God honoured St. Joiseph 
in this world, and the rare examples of humility, wisdom, 
patience, fidelity, obedience, and submission, which he 
hath given us, should inspire us with the highest idea of 
his sanctity, and the greatest devotion towards him. 
Honour him therefore, but more especially by a faithful 
imitation of his virtues. Have recourse to him with con- 
fidence, and inspire this confidence into others. St. Theresa 
assures us, " that she never asked any favour of God, in 
his name, but what she obtained.** 

Prayer to St. Joseph. 

ILLUSTRIOUS Saint ! who art that good 
and faithful servant to whom God hath com- 
mitted the care of his family; whom he hath 
appointed guardian and protector of die hfe of 
JesQS Christ, the comfort and support of his 
holy Mother, and co-partner in his great design 
of the redemption of mankind ; thou who hadst 
the happiness of living with Jesus and Mary, 
and of dying in their arms ; chaste spouse of 
the Mother of God ; model and patron of pure 
souls; humble, patient, and reserved ; be moved 
w^ith the confidence we place in thine interces- 
sion, and accept with kindness this testimony 
of our devotion. 

We orive thanks to God for the sio^nal favours 
he hath been pleased to confer on thee, and we 
conjure him, by thy intercession, to make us 
imitate thy virtues. Pray for us then, O great 
Saint; and by that love which thou hadst for 
Jesus and IMary, and by the love which Jesus 
and Mary had for thee, obtain for us the in- 
comparable happiness of living and dying in 
the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen. 



Devotions for Thursday. ]59 



THURSDAY. 

In order to make s€««e return to that boundless love, of which 
Jesus Christ has given us a testimony in the institution of 
the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, let us unite ourselves 
to him by holy and frequent commnnion. Let us often 
pay him our homage under the Sacramental veils. Let 
us, at least, never omit a Thursday without acquitting 
ourselves of this consoling duty. Let us sometimes pre- 
sent ourselves, in the most profound sentiments of adora- 
tion, before him, as did the Shepherds, and the Eastern 
Kings or jMagi. Let us, at other times, go to hear and 
receive his instructions, in imitation of his Apostles and 
Disciples. Let us approach him like Magdalene, to 
contemplate his admirable perfections, and weep bitterly 
over our sins. Let us again present ourselves before him, 
after the example of the sick man in the Gospel, to be 
healed from our spiritual infirmities ; or, like the poor, to 
disclose to him our wants, and demand those comforts 
and graces which our doubts, or the tribulations and 
crosses incidental to human life, may require. But on all, 
or every one of these occasions, be careful to present thy- 
self before him with that profound degree of modesty, 
recollection, respect, fear, love, gratitude, and coniidence, 
which a lively faith of his real presence in this most , 
blessed Sacrament seldom fails to produce, 

Proi/er before the Blessed Sacramefit. 

SWEET JESUS! O amiable Saviour! 
v^ho, by an effect of thy infinite goodness and 
love, hast vouchsafed to remain really present- 
I amongst us in the adorable Sacrament of 
\ the Altar — I acknowledge thee for my Sove* 
reign JLord and God ; I adore thee with 
the most profound sentiments of humility ; I 
give thee thanks, from the bottom of my heart, 
for the numberless instances of thy love and 
tenderness towards me, a mos.t wretched and 
iiiiserable sinner^ whoj for my manifold offences, 



. 160 Devotions for Friday/. 

liave rather defierved to be cast into the infernal 
abyss, and there punished according to the 
rigour of thy severest justice. Penetrated with 
grief at the sight of my ingratitude, I come, O 
God of Majesty ! to crave pardon for all the 
profanations, sacrileges, and impieties which 
ever have been committed, or may be commit- 
ted, against thee, in this adorable Sacrament. 
And () that 1 could sudiciently express the grief 
which 1 now feel, for having so often appeared 
before thee with irreverence, and so often ap- 
proached thee with so little fervour and devotion. 

Forget, O Lord, our iniquities, and remem- 
ber only thy mercies. Accept my sincere desire 
to honour, and see thee honoured, in this admi- 
rable sacrament of thy love. Yes, I ardently 
desire to bless, praise, and adore thee therein, 
^vith as much love and fervour as the Saints and 
Angels bless, praise, and adore thee, encircled 
with the rays of inellkble glory in thy heavenly 
kingdom. O amiable Jesus ! I conjure thee, 
by thy precious body and blood, before which 
1 now prostrate myselfj that 1 may adore thee 
for the future with such reverence, and receive 
thee so worthily, as to deserve after death to be 
admitted into thy divine presence, and, with 
the choirs of celestial spirits, praise and glorify 
ihee for ever and ever. /Itncn. 

FRIDAY. 

It is not j;ufficient tliat wc carefully avoid whatever can 
renew the passion and death of our divine Redeeniei-, 
but we must also endeavour to honour them, !)y every 
pious exercise which a tender devotion can inspire. Th« 
holy sacrifice of the Mass, o0ered with this intention; 



Dccoiiom for Fridaij. ]61 

fervent communion ; prayer before a crucifix ; fre«jaent 
refloctiona on tlie sufferings of our Lord ; voluntary acts 
of penanc*, such ag fasting on Fridays ; patience and per- 
5ereranC€ under the inevitable troubloa and afflictions of 
this life ; or, in other words, carrying our cross after the 
example of our divine Redeemer, and vA\h the same 
intentions ; will serve as so many pious practices by wliic^t 
we may testify the excess of our love, and apply to our- 
seirei the fruit of hit pasuon. 

PraytT to our suffering Jesus » 

LAMB WITHOUT Spot or Blemish ! In- 
nocent Victim ! whose blood has cancelled the 
sins of the world ; efface mine, and do not per- 
mit thy sufferings to become useless to me. 
Jesus, deserted and foi^saken by every body ! 
Jesus! sorrowful and aggrieved! Jesus, ago- 
nized, patient, and resigned; help me to bear, 
with the like resignation, all the afflictions thou 
niayest be pleased to send me in this life, Jesus, 
calumniated, despised, and outrageously in- 
sulted ! teach me to despise the judgments of 
men, and patiently to suffer the blackest calum- 
nies. Jesus, whose virginal flesh was swollen 
with blows, mangled with wounds, pierced with 
thorns, and covered with blood for love of me ! 
teach me to endure, for thy love, the pains and 
inconveniences of sickness. Jesus, condemned 
to suffer ilie ignominious death of the cross! 
enable me to shun the praises of men, and to 
love the most humble situations. Jesus, bend- 
ing beneath the heavy load of the cross ! unite 
my cross to thine, and enable me to bear it with 
tlie like resignation, strength, and meekness. 
Jesus, elevated on the cross for my sake, and 



162 Devotions for Saturdat/. 

who expiredst thereon for my salvation ! raise 
up my affections to heavenly desires, that, living 
only for thee, and at length expiring in thy 
divine embraces, 1 may be for ever occupied in 
singing forth thy praises. Amen. 

SATURDAY. 

The eminent holiness of Mary, her dignity as Mother of 
God, the glory she enjoys, and the power she has receiveij 
on Earth and in Heaven, her tenderness for mankind, and 
more especially for sudh as seek her intercession, or imitate 
her virtues, are the motives which have inspired all the 
Saints with the most lively and affectionate devotion 
towards her. 

Let us also devote ourselves to her, after their example. 
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin" (says St. Bernard) 
is a mark of predestination.** The best devotion we can 
practise with regard to her, and that which is most strenu- 
ously recommended by the Saints, is a faithful imitation 
of her excellent virtues ; particularly her love of purity 
and humility, and that heroic patience and fortitude under 
the severest crosses and afflictions which she suffered> 
and wherewith almost her whole life was embittered. 

Xet us, therefore, celebrate her festivals, by preparing our- 
selves on the eve, and communicating on the day, in her 
honour. Let us p£ly to her images and pictures that re- 
spect and veneration which the Catholic Church, ever 
guided by the Spirit of Truth, recommends. Let us 
sometimes recite her office, at other times her litanies, or 
rosary, according as tlie duties of our state of life may 
alford us leisure, or our devotion direct. Let us often 
address her with the utmost respect, attention, and confi- 
dence, in the words of that beautiful prayer composed 
partly by the Angel Gabriel, partly by St. Elizabeth, and 
partly by the Ciiurch, and with the same spirit and senti- 
ments. In fine, let us have recourse to her in all our 
wants and necessities, and omit nothing to procure her 
assistance at the most critical period, when we stand in 
most need thereof— the hour of death. 



Devotions for SaiiirdaT/. 16S 



Prayer to the Blessed Virgin. 

MOST Holy Virgin ! Mother of God ! and 
by that august quality worthy of the most 
profound respect from angels and men, I come 
to render thee my most humble homages, and 
to implore thy help and protection. Seated 
above die heavenly host of saints and angels, 
next the throne of the Almighty, thou art most 
powrerful, and thy goodness towards mankind 
equals the power thou hast in heaven. 

Thou knowest, O most Sacred Virgin, that I 
have been taught from my infancy to look up 
to thee as my mother, my patroness, and most 
powerful advocate ; and thou hast vouchsafed, 
from on high, to look down on me as one of thy 
children. I acknowledge, with the most hum- 
ble sentiments of gratitude, that it is by the 
means of thy most powerful intercession 1 have 
received such innumerable graces and favour 
from the Almighty. Why then has not the 
fervour of my devotion towards thee been 
j equal to thy zeal in succouring me in my neces- 
j sities ? Alas ! the sense of my ingratitude 
{ overwhelms me wdth shame and confusion ; 
j but accept, O amiable Queen, of my deter- 
' mined resolution to love, honour, and serve 
thee with more fidelity for the future. 

Receive then, O Sacred Virgin, the protesta- 
tion 1 now make, of being hereafter entirely 
thine. Accept the unshaken confidence which 
; 1 place in thy clemency and goodness. Obtain 
i for me, most powerful advocate with thy dear 
Son, my Saviour, (who can refuse thee nothing 



164 Pious Reflections 

that ig conducive to my salvation,) a lively faitli, 
a firm hope, and a generous, tender, and con- 
stant love. Procure for me such a purity of 
soul and body as nothing can defile or canta- 
minate ; such a profound humihty as nothing 
can aUi?r or change; and such patience, and 
submission to the will of Heaven, as nothing 
can |)erplex or disturb. Lastly, most blessed 
Virgin, obtain for me such a faithful imitation 
of thyself, in the practice of every virtue, during 
life, as may procure for me thy powerful aid 
and protection at the hour of deatli. Amen. 

The following short ejaculatory Prayer to the BLESSED 
VIRGIN MARY, has been recommended, and expe- 
rienced by luany, as an excellent preventative against im- 
pure temptations, 

THROUGH thy sacred virginity and im- 
maculate conception, O most chaste Virgin ! 
obtain for me purity of soul and body : in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son^ and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



PIOUS REFLECTIONS 

FOR EVERr DAY IN THE MONTH. 



Transhted from the French of the Rev, F. Bohours. 

THE following reflections, on account of tlielr 
conciseness and simplicity, require neitlier much timt^ 
nor application to be read and understood. They j 
do not merely regard the social duties of mankind, j 
like those of Epictetus or Seneca ; they are Chris- 



for exery Day in the Month. 165 

tran Thouglits on the most important truths Re-' 
lit»ioii, and most elevated maxims of the Gospel. 
They are not only adapted for such as, by retire- 
ment, are familiarized to the practice of mental 
prayer; but, likewise, for those who, from their 
secular occupations, are, as yet, but little versed iu 
the use of meditation. Even worldlhigs ai'e still 
capable of sometimes elevating their thoughts to 
Heaven ; or, in whatever occupations persons may 
be engaged, they may always find sufficient leisure 
for a short lecture. If the multiplicity or urgency 
of the concerns of this life will not afford you suffi- 
cient time for regular meditation, you may, at least, 
suffer a good thought to take possession of your 
mind before the business of the day is entered upon. 
Such is the design of these short reflections ; and the 
method of using them is as follows ; — Every day in 
each month, after having acquitted yourself of the 
indispensable duty of Morning Prayer, pV. 'e your- 
self agaiii in the presence of God, and read the 
Thoughts of the Day ; but, in order that you may 
the better comprehend their meaning, read them with 
deliberatton, and the most })rofound attention. After 
reading the iirst article, allow yourself a short inter- 
val for reiiection before you pass on to the second. 
Do not rest satisfied with barely conceiving the truth 
of the maxim you read, but, after ruminating se- 
riously upon it, apply it to yourself ; and observe the 
same rule with the second and third articles. But 
sliould the urgency of business allow you but suffi- 
cient leisure merely to read them, be satisfied, imder 
tlie assurance, that pious thoughts have the same 
eii<eft on the soul as a seal has upon melted wax ; for, 
should they enter but ever so slightly into the mind, 
they will always leave some impression behind. If 
you camiot find leisure to read these Thoughts in the 



166 Pious Re/lections 

moming, read them, at least, in the course of the 
day, or at night before you go to bed. The Practi- 
cal Resolutions, immediately following the Thoughts, 
must not be omitted. An act of virtue, or a short 
reflection, is soon made. 

The passages from the Holy Sa'iptures and Fa- 
thers, at the close of the Reflections, are as it were 
an abridgment or abstract of the Thoughts of the 
Day ; they collect, as in a focus, their whole strength 
and sense in a few words. Being short and concise, 
they are easily remembered ; being pithy and affect-* 
ing, they are happily calculated to rouse, support, 
and nourish the soul throughout the course of tl)© 
day. They are as gi'ains of essence, which contain 
a strong and fi'agi*ant odour within a small compass ; 
or as an ingenious piece of mechanism, which can 
execute a gi*eat deal of work in a very little time. Be 
not content with reading these Reflections once over, 
but read . hem over again and again, month after 
month, till by making a lasting impression on the 
mind, you may reap all the spiritual advantages they are 
capable of producing ; for there is always something 
iiew to be found in the truths of religion : they are 
mines which cannot be too deeply dug into ; they 
are fountains whose sources ai'B inexhaustible ; but 
they are also seeds, which produce little or no fruit, 
unless they take root by being deeply planted in the 
heai't. 

First Day. — On Faith. 

1. ALL that Faith teaches is grounded on 
the authority of* the word of God. It is from 
Christ himself that the Church has learned 
vallate ver she proposes to the faithful as the 
object of their belief. When Truth itself is 
the guide; one cannot go astray ; and there is 



for every Dai/ in the Month, 167 

nothing more reasonable, than to submit reason 
to faith. 

2. Of what use is faith to a Christian, if it 
be not the rule of his conduct ? If it be the 
most consummate folly to doubt of a doctrine 
which God has revealed, which so many Mar- 
tyrs have sealed with their blood, and which 
the Devils themselves have so often confessed, 
is it not downright madne^ss to believe this doc- 
trine, and yet to live as if it were supposed to 
be false ? Not to live conformable to our be- 
lief, is to believe just as the damned do» 

3, Faith, then, shall henceforth be the sole 
principle of my actions, and the only rule of 
my life. Whatever it condemns, I also abso- 
lutely condemn. In spite of every natural 
repugnance 1 will oppose the maxims of the 
Gospel to those of the world, as often as the 
occasion presents itself. What does the world 
say }— follow the natural bent of your inclina- 
tions, suffer nothing, &c. But what doth 
Jesus Christ say? — quite the contrary. But 
who is right — Jesus Christ or the world ? 

Thank God for being incorporated with his Church, and 
recite the Creed slowly, as a solemn profession of your faith, 

^' Lord increase my faith." Luke^ xvii. 
, " What doth it avail to believe like a Catho- 
i| lie, and yet to live like a Heathen Peter Dam. 

Second Day. — On the End of Man. 

1. GOD alone is our last end : he did not 
create us but for himself. Our hearts tell us 



168 



Pious Rejlections 



that we were made for him : we cannot disown 
it without belying ourselves. 

2. Every one should have what justly be- 
longs to him ; let us then give oui^elves to God, 
since it is he that has a right to us. If we be 
not his children of our own accord, we must 
be his slaves in spite of us. We must of ne- 
cessity live under the dominion of his justice, 
or his bounty. Which choice shall we make ? 

3. Every thing should tend to its proper 
object, and act according to its nature. If the 
sun, which is made to shine, refused its light 
to the world, it would be a monster in the uni- 
verse ; nor is that heart less monstrous, which, 
being made for God, doth still refuse to belong 
to him. Do I behave myself as a creature 
which belongs to God ? — are my thoughts, are 
all my actions directed to him ? — Ah, how 
little do 1 do, that may be called truly done for 
God ! What doth all the business in this 
w'orld avail me, if I forget the only affair for 
which 1 am come into it ? 

Make here a resolution of seeking God alone, and 
depriving him of notliing which he has a right to. 

^' Thou art my Lord and my God." John^ xx. 
He requires you entirely, who hath made 
you entirely." St, Austin. 

Third Day. — Contempt of the World. 

1. FROM the moment we are attached to 
the world, we cease, in some measure, to be 
Christians. This profane world, so passionately 
fond of grandeur, of pleasure, of every thing 
that can flatter self-love^ is the capital enemy of 



for every Day in the Month. 169 

Jesus Christ: their maxims, their command- 
ments, their interests, are quite opposite ; they 
cannot be obeyed at once; we must break oiF 
either with one or with the other, 

2. We cannot take part with the world 
without a breach of the promises we made at 
our baptism. When w-e renounced Satan and 
his pomps, we bound ourselves down, by 
solemn oath, to trample under foot whatever is 
greatest in the esteem of the w^orldHngs. What 
perfidy ! what sacrilege ! to prefer the goods of 
the Earth to those of Heaven, and to become 
idolaters of vanity. 

3. The world has nothing worthy of an im- 
mortal soul; it has not even wherewith to re- 
quite its most devoted servants. Its treasures, 
its amusements, its honours, may indeed oc- 
cupy and disturb the heart of man, but tliey 
can never satisfy it. They are in reahty but 
false gods, vain shadows and illusions ; or, to 
speak more properly, they are real evil. They 
make a man wicked — ^they can never make hini 
happy. The most brilliant fortune is not only 

1 frail and dangerous, but is often a source of tlie 
most painful uneasiness. There are sighs ai\d 
sufferings upon the throne^ as well as in chains 

I and dungeons. 

' • Beg of God to destroy in you the spirit of the world, and 

I give you strength to despise its allurements. 

The figure of the world passeth away.*' 
1 Cor, vii. 

Woe to those who adhere to what is tran« 
sitory; because with those things they thcnv 

II selves must pass awav." 

i " K 



JTO Pious Rejledions 



Fourth Day. — Up07i Death. 

1. A CHRISTIAN who does not lead the 
life of a Christian^ has great reason to be afiaid 
of death. What a dreadful account must he 
give after a worldly and sensual life ! What 
bitter regret, to have lost the opportunities of 
saving himself! to die an enemy of God! O 
dismal death ! O dreadful moment, which con- 
cludes the pleasures of tirne^ to i^egin the pains 
of eternity. 

2. What would we wish to have done at 
the hour of death. — Let us do at present what 
we would then be glad to have done. There 
as no time to lose ; every moment may be the 
last of our life. The longer we have lived, the 
nearer we approach to the grave. Our death 
is not the less distant^ the more it has been put 
off. 

S. What will our notion of this earth be, 
when we are forced to quit it ? Let us nov*^ take 
advice from death ; it is a faithful counsellor — 
it will not deceive us. What will become of 
this beauty, this money, tliis pleasure, this ho- 
riour ? What will be our thoughts of them at the i 
hour of death ?— -In our life-lime appearances ^ 
often deceive us ; but at our death we shall see 
things as they really are. Man, whilst alive, 
esteems the world ; man, when dying, despises 
it. But v/hich should we reasonably believe — 
man living, or man at the point of death ? Ah ! , 
how trifling will the world appear at the light • 
pf that torch which faintly glimmers near the 



for ev^ry Day in the Month. 171 

bed of death! but alas ! it will then be no 
longer time to undeceive ourselves. 

Think seriously on what you chiefly apprehend, were you 
this moment to die, and regulate it immediately. Accustom 
yourself this moment to perform every action as if you were' 
to die instantly after it. Above all things, observe this 
practice in the use of the Sacraments. 

Death and I are divided but a single step."' 
1 Kinors^ XX. 

" There is no to-morrow for a Christian.'^ 
TertuUian. 

Fifth Day. — On the last JudgmenL 

1. / must one day appear before the tribunal 
of J esus Christy to be there judged upon the: 
good or evil I shall have done. There is 
nothing more formal nor express in the Gospel 
than this truth; I believe it as firmly as if the 
last trumpet had already sounded to call up all 
the dead to judgment. 

2. What shail we say at the sight of so 
many bad tlioughts, of so many criminal actions, 

I of so many graces despised ? O what a terrible 
j day is the day of God's wrath ! where the 

inmost recesses of the heart shall be openly 

exposed— where every fault shall be strictly 
I exavruned ! If the just themselves shall be 
' hardly found just, what must become of 
ij unhappy sinners. 

S. What sentence must an impenitent sinner 

expect from an offended and inexorable God? 

— O tremendous condemnation ! Depart ye 
I accursed^ &c. Alas! where shall these mi ser- 
'I able wretches go, to whom you thus give your 
K 2 



172 Pious Reflections 

malediction ? to what part of the world shall 
tliey retire wlien they withdraw from you ? — 
Where can there be so miserable a dwelling I— 
To be banished from the presence of God I to 
be accursed of God ! O what a shockincf 
destiny ! 

Imagine yourself now before the tribunal of Christ, What 
are you most asiiamed of at this very moment? Pvcflect 
seriously on it^ and rcmenjber that all your secret sins shall 
be exposed at the day of judgment, if you do not here efface 
them by a sincere repentance. 

" Wlio ghall be able to stand before the face 
of his wratli/' JS'aJiiim. i. 

" Woe even to the praise-worthy of life, if 
w^ithout niercyj O God, thou shalt examine it/' 
St. August. 

Sixth Day. — Upo7i Hell. 

1. HOW great would be our horror^ if the 
shrieks of the damned, if their groans and 
blasphemies^ could reach us ! They roar like 
wild beasts. They accuse themselves of their 
sins — they bewail, they detest them. But it is 
too late : their tears but add new strength to 
the fire that torments them. O repentance of 
the damned ! how rigorous art thou ! but ah ! 
how fruiiiess. 

2. Never to see God ! — to be burning in 
flames for ever — the blood boiling in our veins, 
the marrow in our bones ! — to be trampled on 
by the devils ! — to have all that is hideous for 
ever before our eyes ! — to have racre, anguish, 
and despair, eternally rooted in our lieart, with- 
out comfort or mitigation ! O what a life ! 



for ever}/ J^^J/ the Month. 173 



S. These wretches are outrageous^ as having 
had so many opportunities of saving themselves, 
and for having neglected them. The recollec- 
tion of their past pleasure is one of their most 
sensible torments. But nodiing more keenly 
gnaws them than the impossibility of forgetting 
that God, whom, by their own fault, they have 
miserably forfeited. 

Go do\\Ti, ill spirit, into Hell, and inquire of the damned 
what it is that has made them fall into it. Question them 
upon their present state, and learn of them to fear God and 
your own danger. 

Which of you can dwell with devouring 

flames ?" JsaiaSy xxxiii. 

" The impious pass from one punishment to 
another, from the burnings of concupiscence 
to the flames of HelL'* St. Aug. 

Seventh Day. — On the Eternal Torments of 
the Damned. 

I. CAN the wrath of God to farther than 
punishing pleasures which are so soon over, by 

1 tortures which will never have an end ? To be 
miserable while ever God is God! — can any 
misery be like it ? Is it not enough that the evils 
of the damned are extreme? Slust they still, 

, besides this, be eternal ? To be hurt by the 

I point of a pin is trifling in itself; yet were this 
pain to last always, it would become insupport- 
able : IVhat shah it he then^ &c. 

O Eternity !— when a damned sotd shall 
have shed tears enough to make up all the rivers 

.* and seas in the world, did he shed but one tear 



174 Pious lie/ltetwns 

in every hundred years, he slmll not be more 
advanced, after so many nnlHons of ages, than 
if he had only just begun to suffer. He must 
begin again, as if he had yet suffered nothing- 
and when he shall have begun as often as there 
are grains of sand on the sea-shore, or atoms in 
the air, or leaves on the trees, he shall still be as 
far off" from the end of his suffering as ever. 

3. The damned must not only suffer during 
eternity, but suffer every moment an eternity 
entire. Eternity is always present to them — it 
enters into their punishment; their mind is in- 
cessantly struck with the endless duration of 
their torments. O cruel thougiit ! () deplorable 
condition! — to rage for an eternity! to burn 
for an eternity ! Ah, that we could conceive this 
, as those damned souls conceive it. 

, Make an act of faith upon tlie duration of the punishments 
^hich the justice of God inflicts for mortal sin. We must, 
at least, behevc what we are not able to conceive. It is a 
great misfortune for a Christian not to be per&uax.led of this 
eternity, but by his own sad experience, 

" Those who do not obey the Gospel, shall 
^' suffer eternal punislnnent." 2 Thes, i. 

Momentary is that which delights, eternal 
" Is that whicli tortures." ^7. Chri/sosioni. 

Eighth Day. — On Heaven. 

1. HEAVEN", thou olorious state ! no heart 
can conceive, no tongue can describe what tliou 
art! Exemption from all that is evil — assem- 
blage of all that is good — master-piece of God's 
omnipotence — the price of the blood of Jesus 
—and more than man can desire. 



for etery Hay in the Month, 175 

2. To see God clearh', and as he is in his 
glory; to love God without measure; to pos- 
sess God without ever fearing to lose him; to 
be happy in the felicity of God himself; — • 
sucli is the object of my hope. But a day or 
two of pilgrimage and exile, and then I shall be 
with him For ever. 

3. What matters it how we fare here below^ 
provided w^e be with Jesus for all eternity? 
Can I justly complain, that a never-ending 
happiness should cost me so little ? The martyrs 
purchased Heaven at the price of their biood, 
and thought it was given them for nothing. 
Shall not 1 then sacrifice my corrupt will for it ? 
O happy eternity, if men only knew what thou 
art worth, 

E\clte within yourselves a great desire of Heaven, and 
behold the earth with a proportionable contempt. Were 
you filled with a proper sense of it, nothing here below could 
allure or disturb you. 

I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall 
appear. Psalm xvi. 

If the labour terrifies^ the reward invites/' 
5^ Bernard. 

Ninth Day.-~^(?/7 the Presence of God. 
I. GOD at this moment beholds me^ as if I 
were alone in the world ; or rather, he is within 
me, as an eye infinitely enhghtened^ which ob- 
serves me attentively, and which nothing can 
escape. He sees me as clearly as he compre- 
hends himself, and with as intense an application 
as if he ceased to contemplate himgelf in Qrder 
to study me. 



176 Pious Re flections 

2. Ought 1 not to be infinitely more ashamed 
that my sins should appear in his sight, than 
that they should be 'exposed to the eyes of the 
whole world ? Would I commit, in the pre- 
sence of a servant, what 1 dare commit before 
the King of Kings ? O Avhat blindness to fear 
so much the eyes of men, and so little the eyes 
of God. 

S. The most obscure darkness can never con- 
ceal me from Light itself ; the most distant and 
solitary retreats are always filled with the Divine 
Majesty. Let me shuup as much as I please, 
the sight and the company of men, 1 will find 
God every where. 

Put yourself in the presence of God, and see whether there 
be any tiling in you that may offend his eyes. The most 
powerful remedy against sin, is to say frequently within 
yourself, God is looking at me; there needs no more to 
restrain me in the greatest violence of temptation. 

All things are clear and open to his eyes." 
Hebrews^ iv. 

" If you be determined to commit sin, seek 
first a place \vhereGod will not see you, and 
then do what you please." St. Austin. 

Tenth Day. — Care of our Salvation. 

1 . THE affair of salvation is, properly speak- 
ing, the only business of man ; every other con- 
cern, when compared with it, should be ac- 
counted as nothing. The enterprizes of kings, 
their negociations, &c. are as the amusements 
hnd the triflings of children. The important 
and the only affair, therefore, is to serve God, 
and thereby save our souls : the whole good, the 



for every Day in the Month. 177 

whole perfection of man, consists in this. It 
would be irrational, and therefore degrading to 
man, to neglect an affair w4iose consequences 
are so great, whose success is so uncertain, 
and whose loss is irreparable. What blindness ! 
what folly ! to think only of living, and not to 
think of living well ! to apply so much time to 
makmg our fortune, and so httle to the saving 
of our soul ! What doth it avail a man to 
" gain the whole world, and lose his soul 

2, All creatures are made but for our salva- 
tion — they become useless when not employed 
for that great end : so that from the moment a 
man ceases to labour for his salvation, the sun 
also should cease to shine, the planets should 
stop in their course, the earth should no longer 
support him, the Angels should abandon him; 
he should fall back into his original nothing. 
He is unworthy of life when lie liveth not for 
God. 

3, However the greater part of mankind 
think less of saving themselves than of any 
thing else. Every other business is carefully 
attended to, except the affair of salvation. All 
other concerns are turned to account. This 
sum of money must be put out to interest — this 
field must be tilled — these lands must be let at ^ 
a more considerable rent. All other losses are 
bewailed, except the one without resource* 
Great expenses are incurred for the body, and 
nothing at all is done for the soul : from the 
manner in which we live, it should seem that 
our soul does not really belong to us, but that 

it is the soul of our most mortal enemy, or the 



178 Pious Reflections 

soul of some brute ; or rather that we have a 
soul, just merely to destroy it. 

Make now a firm resolution to sare your soul, let it cost 
you what pains it will ; be of the same sentiment with a certain 
Pontiff, who when a King had asked something of him, 
which could not be granted without sin, replied, ** If I had 
** two souls T would give one of them to thee, O Prince; 

but, as I have only one, I do not choose to forfeit it/' 

Moreover one thing is necessary/' Luke^ x. 
" Where there is the loss of salvation, there 
surely there can be no gain.'* St, Euck. 

Eleventh Day. — On the horror for Sin. 

1. HOW great a loss is the loss of God. 
Men think themselves unfortunate when they 
lose all their possessions at law or by bank- 
ruptcy, or by some other accident. What is it, 
then, to lose an infinite God! Unhappy the 
soul which loses its God by sin ; but far more 
unhappy the soul who considers this loss as 
nothing. 

^. O Sin ! how common art thou among 
men ! but how little at the same time art thou^ 
known to them ! Playing and amusing them- 
selves, they become the execration of God. 
And what ptay, what amusement is this ? — 
God, who is all love, detests sin with infmite 
hatred: should any thing, therefore, be so 
shocking in our eyes as tliis hellish monster 

3. A soul, in the state of grace, is beautiful 
beyond expression; it is a brilliant image of 
God himself; the Holy Ghost animates it. 
But when mortal sin is allowed to infect it, its. 
beauty is lost, its light is extinguished, the 



for every Day in the Month, 179 

Divine Spirit departs, the Devil takes posses- 
sion ; all then is darknesSj filth, and deformity. 
If a God-Man dying was a dreadful spectacle, 
nioi tal sin is yet more dreadful ; for Christ died 
but to atone for sin, and sin can daily frustrate 
all his merits : he is crucified over and over, 
his blood is trampled upon, by ungrateful 
sinners. 

O detest at this moment aU your sins* Lament from 
your heart the loss of God's grace : there is no loss so much 
to be l^amfinted ; it is the only loss which sorrow can repair. 

What advantage had you in those things, 
at which you now are blushing ?" Romans^ vi. 

Woe to that daring soul which hoped, that 
havincr retired from you, she might still find 
something better." St, Austin. 

Twelfth Day. — On Repentance. 

1. " REPENT and believe the Go^peir 
Our Lord here joins faith and repentance 
together, in order to teach us, that the rigours 
of Penance, and the profession of Christianity, 
are insej)arable. During his mortal life, he 
was a penitent God, ever occupied in expiating 
our sins, to appease the justice of his eternal 
Father. Surely we should follow his example. 
If the Holy of Holies fasted, prayed, and wept, 
what should not be done by such vile wretches 
as we ? 

2. Sin must necessarily be punished, either 
by him who commits, or by God, against whom 
it is committed. If sinners do not punish 

!| themselves in time, the Divine Ju:;tice will 



180 Pious Reflections 

punish them in etemity. The flames of Hell 
must punish what the waters of penance have 
not effaced. Is it not therefore better to weep 
for a few days, than to burn for eternity ? 

3. To be reconciled with God, it is not 
enough to prostrate ourselves before a priest, 
cover our heads with ashes, and our whole bo- 
dies with hair-cloth. If we have not a sincere 
sorrow for our sins, if we do not entirely re- 
nounce our criminal attachments, we are im- 
postors, and not penitents. Prayers, alms, 
fastings, and macerations of the flesh, are but 
the outsides of repentance — the hatred of sirt 
is its very spirit and essence. 

Implore God's mercy for having hitherto led a life so 
opposite to the Gospel ; and beg of him the grace to live for 
the future, as the first Christians did, in the constant practice 
of penance. 

" Unless you do penance, ypu shall all perish 
^' alike." Luke^ xiii. 

To penitents I say, to what purpose is it 
that you be humbled, if with this you be not 
changed ? St. Austin. 

Thirteenth Day. — On Delai/ of Conversion. 

1. BY deferring so long to give myself up to 
God, it should seem as if I intended to escape 
out of his hand. Is it then a misfortune to 

belong to him ? To-morrow To-morrow! 

why not to-day ? why not at this very moment ? 
Will ray chains be more easily broken to-mor- 
row? will my heavt be less hard? — no, cer- 
tainly. Time that weakenb every thin^ eke. 



for etery Day in the Month. 181 

, adds new strength to bad habits. By putting off 
the remedy, the complaint becomes incurable. 

2. What is it that prevents our obeying tlie 
voice that calls us to repentance ? What is it that 

, terrifies us ? That there is great difficulty in 
, changing our hves, must certainly be granted : 
but what should not a Christian do^ who adores 
a crucified God, and who looks up to heaven ^ 
If we have any thing to fear^ it should be the 
abuse of God's graces. 

3. There is time to come. But can I call it 
mine ? Is it a possession I am master of? God 
waits for me, it is true— the Scriptures tell me 
go^ but still it dodi not tell me how long I ami 
to live. He that promised pardon to those 
that repent, has not promised another day to 
those who continue in their vices. Perhaps I 
shall have time ; and perhaps i shall not. Must 
not I have lost my senses, to trust my salvation 

I lo a mere perhaps ? 

I ' Reflect now upon the time you have been deferring your 
|\COHversion to God, and tremble at the sight of your danger, 

I said now I have begun." Ps. Ixxix. 
We cannot be too cautious where eternity 
|is at stake." St. Greg. 

! Fourteenth Day,— 0/2 Human Respect. 

1. What will the. world say ? Let it say what 
1 ;t will — should the talk of fools hinder you 
I irom being wise? But what will my acquaint- 

• jince say ? They will say, that you fear God 

• "nnore than you fear man : the greatest libertines 
) secretly admire you, and acknowledge with- 



182 Piotta Refledions 

in tliemselves that you are doing rigliU—BiU 
what matters it, after ail, wh.at people may say 
of yoiij/^provided you do your duty, and that 
tiod be satisfied ? 

2. O what cowardice, to hhish at the gospel ! 
To wear the fivery of a prince is lield honour- 
able—is it then shameful to wear that of Jesus 
Christ ? The lowest mechanics make open pro- 
fession of the trades they follow ; and yet Chris- 
tinus, in tlie church, bhish at being thought 
Christians! T1ie Son of God will deny before 
Lis Father in Heaven the Christian that shall 
have denied him before men. 

3, What, then 1 is there any thing in Jesu^ 
that you should be ashamed of? Is his name 
infiimous ? Is it disgraceful to followhis maxims 
and example ? You are not ashamed, perhaps, 
of being a libertine, adrunkard^ a blasphemer; 
you probably may even glory in it, and yet you 
blush at being a good m.an. But let people say 
^vhat they will, the man that is most esteemed 
is he who serves God with most fidelity, and 
who openly professes himself to be a follower of 
Christ. • 

Ask yoursolf seriously, -^'hether this phantom of the world 
doth not frighten yon, and prevent your fulfilling the obli- 
gations which the Christian religion imposes^'^ 

" I do not blush at the Gospel." Romans^ I. 
" Why should you (ear or be ashamed, when 
armed with the sign of the cross ?" St. Auslui. 

Fifteendi D'dy.—DiJ/idence in Oiu selves, 

^, WE have nothing to fear so much as our- 
selves. Our own weakness is more claiming- 



for eiery Da?/ in the Month, 185 

than the united powers of rIelL A thought, a 
word, a single look is enough to overcome us. 
Angels luive rebelled, Adam hath fallen, Solo- 
mon has bowed to idols, Peter hath denied his 
master. When cedars have yielded, how shall 
oziers stand. 

2, Our own heart is our most dangerous 
enemy : our senses and our passions are always 
conspiring against viS : we are vanquished al^ 
most without a struggle. Let us then never be 
so weak or foolish as to trust to ourselves. 
Many wh.om tbrments could not shake, have 
wretchedly perished in a slic^ht temptation: tliey 
were victorious over tyrants, but vanquished by 
concupiscence. 

S. There is no man, of how exemplary soever 
a conduct, that should not tremble at the justice 
of God, because he cannot be certain whether 
he be worthy of love or hatred. To the all- 
seeing eye of Infinite Perfection, the very Angels 
themselves shall not appear vvlthout blemish. 
Sanctity may be lost in a single moment, and 
the Saint may be transformed into an odious 
reprobate. We should all, therefore, cry out 
with St. Philip of Nen, " w^atch me, () Lord, 
''^this day, for abandoned to myself 1 shall 
j*' surely betray thee." 

■j Beware of the occasions of sin : the most dangerous are 
'|Cftcn V. liat you are least afraid of. 

Let him that thinks he stands, take heed 
lest he fall." 1 Cor. iv. 

Though you be in a place of safety, do not 
on t]]at account think yourself secure." St, 
[Btrnard. 



1S4 



Pious Reflections 



Sixteenth Day. — Use of Divine Grace. 

1 . WHATEVER grace we have was dearly 
purchased t our Saviour gave his blood for it. 
Wherefore, to reject a pious thought, to resist 
an holy inspiration, is, in fact, to trample on 
the merits of Christ, and to frustrate, as much 
as we can, the ends he proposed to himself in 
dying for us. I 

2. We are accountable to God, not only for 
the graces we have received, but also for those 
which he intended to confer on us, provided we 
ourselves had not put an obstacle to them. His 
sun shines, but we shut our windows a<^ainst 
it. Are we the less indebted to him for its 
light ? — no ; for we may, if we please, make use 
of it. 

3. Many years, perhaps, has God been in- 
viting us in vain ; soliciting, reprehending, and 
threatening us to no manner of purpose. But 
let us remember, that he is a Creditor who will 
not thus be put off, and that the longer our 
debt is unpaid, the more strictly will he require 
the interest. There is possibly a measure of 
sins which may force him at last to abandon us. 

Thank the Almighty now for all his gifts and graces. 
Beg pardon for having been unfaithful to them, and resolve 
to correspond, with docility, to all the suggestions of his 
grace for the future, 

" From him to whom much hath been 
given, much will be required.'' Luke. xii. 
"Grace is followed by Judgment." St. 
Basil. 



for every Day in the Month. 185 



Seventeenth Day. — Good Use of Time, 

1. THE loss of time 13 one of the greatest 
misfortunes in the world. Tills life, so short ! 
all its moments so precious ! — yet we live as if it 
were never to end^ or as if we had nothing 
to fear hereafter. 

2. Alas ! if a damned soul had but one 
single moment of the time we now squander 
away, what good use would he make of it ! 
Every instant of our life we may purchase a 
happy eternity. The opportunity of enriching 
or amusing ourselves, we never miss ; but the 
means of salvation appear to us indifferent. 

3. The day that is best employed, is- not 
always the one that has most forwarded our 
temporal affairs, but that which has added most 
to our merits, and which God has been best 
pleased with. Let us always so regulate our 
time, that God and our salvation may be our 
constant objects. 

Renew the resolution yoH have taken to serve God faith- 
fully ; and be firmly persuaded, that the time which is not 
employed for God, is no more than so much time lost for 
ever, 

" God hath given to no person time for sin- 
" ning." Eccles, xv. 

" You have leisure to become a philosopher; 

you have none to become a Christian.'* St. 
Paul. 

Eighteenth Day.: — Use of the Sacrame7its. 

1. THE sacraments are the channels of di- 
vine c^vace : throuQ[h them the merits of Christ 



186, Pious Refteciions 

abundantly flow into our souls. We must 
therefore take care to approach tliem worthily; 
for otherwise his merits will not avaiLus, nor 
will our salvation of course be possible. 

The abuse of the sacraments is an evil of 
I lie first magnitude. They were instituted as 
the means of life ; but when perverted lead to 
eternal death. There is no medium : they must 
be either our food or our poison. How dread- 
ful, then, must it be to reHect^ that after so 
many confessions we should be so little im- 
proved, that after repeated communions we 
should still follow the sam,e sinful course ! 

S. The unworthy communicant receives his 
own condemnation, and becomes as it were in- 
corporated with his own ruin. What answer 
can he give, when called to account for his 
baseness ? How shall he hope to escape, when 
arraigned for such daring profanations ? 

Examine yourself carefully upon the use you have made of 
the sacraments, and receive them for the future as if deatU 
■ivere immediately approaching. 

Let a man prove himself" 1 Cor. 

There are bad Cln-istians who are called 
by the name of faithful, and who are not- 
such ; by whom the sacraments of Christ are 
^' dishonoured and profaned." St. Austin, 

Nineteenth Day. — Oit the Mass. 

]. A SACRIFICE is an exterior or visible 
offering made by a lawful minister to God 
aloncj m testimony of his supreme dcnninipn. 
Our absolute dependence upon God^ and the 



for e-ceiy Day in ike Month. ]ST 

homage we owe him, render sacrifice essential 
to religion. Hence, from the be^ini^anir of the 
world it has been always offered. Abel, Noah, 
Melchisedech, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
have saciiticed tp the Almighty : and a variety 
of sacrifices were prescribed in the written law 
of ^^Io5es. 

2, All these, however, were only weak figures 
of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross ; for shi 
was too great an evil — its guilt . was of too black 
a dye — to be ever removed by the blood of sheep 
and oxen. No other atonement could possibly 
compensate for its eiionnitv, tlian the invaluable 
sutferings of a God : therefore did he come. ♦ 

In the head of the book it was written of him, 
that he should do the will of his Father." 
By the one oblation of himself, he paid off all 
our debtsV he closed up the abyss of separation, 
cancelled the hand-writing of sin that lay 
against us, and the sanctified he perfected for 
ever. 

3. Was not this enough ? Most undoubtedly 
it w^as : nay, one drop of his blood was fully 
aclequate to all these purposes. Why then is 
the same sacrifice daily renewed in the ?uass ? 
Why is he still immolated upon our altars ? 
AVhyis his body mystically drained -of his blood, 
by the separate consecration of the two species ? 
— Because his love for us would have it so : he 
would leave us a standing raemorial of his death : 
he would dally f^pply to our souls the infinite 
merits thereof, just as he prays for us still, 
though Uis. prayer on the cross was already 
heard for us : he would, as a Priest for ever, ac- 

L 4 



188 Pious Reflections 

cording to the order of Melchisedech, continue 
to the end of tinne the same unbloody sacrifice : 
he was wilhng that his faithful on earth, united, 
not only in spirit, but in outward ties of religion, 
should ever have this sacrifice before theui, as 
the strongest bond of love, and the most perfect 
act of adoration. 

Make a resolution to hear Mass every day, and to hear it 
t^'ith the devotion which so august a sacrifice requires. 
Por this purpose go to the church as you would to Mount 
Calvary ; adore Jesus Christ, in his state of humiliation ; 
pay him your homage with fervour at the foot of the altar, 
Jt is shameful in us, and most displeasing to him, that he 
should be so much deserted in the midst of our churches, 
and that his court should be so empty, v/hilst earthly kings 
have their levees crowded. 

In every place there is sacrifice, and a 
pure victim is offered to my name." Malac. i. 

He will then be our victim indeed, \vhea 
w^e sacrifice ourselves to him." St, Greg. 

Twentieth Day.— On Alms Deeds. 

1. We minister to Christ when we relieve 
the poor. He abides in the Eucharist to re- 
ceive our adoration, and to become our nourish- 
ment: he abides in the poor to excite our 
compassion, and to be fed by us in our turn. 
Happy the man who gives alms to Jesus ! but 
wretched is he who refuses to assist him ! Shall 
•we feed our dog, and let Christ famish with 
hunger! 

2. What we give to the great ones of the 
earth may, in a great measure, be considered 
as forfeited ; but what we present to God is 
always attended with advantage. He gives it 
back with intereBt. He repays with liberality 



for exery Day in the Monilu 189 

the crumbs that are given for his sake : his 
rewards are laid up, even for a cup of cold 
water. Play, luxury, and debauch, have 
ruined innumerable families, but alms have 
impoverished no one. 

3. Men at the day of judgment shall be 
accountable for their alms ; but what answer 
can the unfeehng rich ones make, when the 
poor shall accuse them — when Jesus Christ 
himself shall reproach them with their insen- 
sibility? ''Go, ye cursed, into eternal fire, 

1 was hungry, and you gave me not to eat ; 

1 was naked, and you did not clothe me," 
&c. A heart that is hard to the poor is the 
heart of a reprobate; but, on the contrary, a 
soul that is truly charitable, is a soul pre- 
destined. What can our Judge say against 
us, when he shall see our clothes upon himself^ 
when he shall see our bread and our money in 
his own hands ? We shall approach his awful 
tribunal with conHdence, provided the poor be 
our advocates. 

Consider seriously how you behave to the poor ; whether 
you treat them as members of Jesus Chi'ist, by doing theia 
all the good in your power. 

He gives at interest to the Lord^ who has 
" pity on the poor." Prov. xix. 

Give unto all, lest lie whom you refuse 
^' should be Jesus Christ." St, Austin, 

Twenty-hrst Day. — On had Example, 

J. BAD example has damned more souls, 
tlian the preaching and good example of all the 
iraints togciher have ey^r been able to save.* 



190 Pious Rejfectioiis 

2. Were the gates of hell to he laid open^ 
scarce would any one be found that would not 
say^ it is^ such or such-a-one thai has dani?ied 
7716. O what a reproach ! — We are commanded 
to love our enemies ; why then should we de- 
stroy our soulsj which have never done us an 
injury ? A man who has been unfortunate, 
enough to ruin souls redeemed l)y the blood of 
a God, liath^much reason to fear for bis vSaiva- 
tion. What can we reasonably hope from Jesus 
Christ, after having torn from him what he. hath 
so dearly purchased ?^ O fatliers and molhersy 
v/ho do not live as Christians ou<2;ht to live, it 
were far better for your children liiat they liad 
never been born!— you have given them life 
only to put them to death — that ch'eadful deatJi 
which is eternal ! When they shall require of 
you the Heaven th.ey have lost, what will you 
be able to answer them ? 

3. Let us clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, 
according to the words of the Apostle : let 
his conduct, his virtue, and his spirit shine 
forth in us, so that he may be remembered v.hen 
we are seen. We contribute noi less to our 
neighbour's salvatit^n l)y an edifying life, than 
we do to his damnation by a scandaloijs one. 

Ee very careful to do notiiliip;- that may scandalize yoTir ' 
neighbour; and humbly beg pardon of God for the ^i^.s you 
iiave occasioned. 

Woe be to the man by whoin scandal 
^' Cometh." St. Matt, xviii. 

The scandalous sinner must answer for 
^' the crimes which his held example iiath 
" caused to be committed." Saliian, 



for every Day in the Month. 191 



Twenty-second Day.~0/^ Mortificalionf 

h We are not Christians merely to be ricli, 
and to live at our ease. It was not neeessajy 
to institute Cbristianity for that purpose : the 
world might have been left as it was. under the 
empire of passion and opinion. The life of 
a Christian is a crucified liie : unless tlie cross 
be embraced, faith must be renounced. 

2. What doth the Gospel say ? Blessed are 
those that weep: woe be to you, O rich^ 

" who have your consolation in this w^orld 
stich is the language of the' Holy Ghost. But 
it is now looked on as nonsense, to believe 
that felicity consists in tears^ and that the rich 
are unhappy. 

3. The son of God w^as to die on the cross, 
that he might take possession of his glory : the 
Saints have arrived at Heaven but by the path 
of sulferin^s. Shall we then imagine that what 
the Son of God and the Saints have so dearly 
purchased^ shall be given to us for nothing ? 
No : the cross is the distinctive mark and por- 
tion of the elect : a soul which suffers nothings 
and is resolved to suffer notlnnij, bears the 
strongest character of a reprobate. We must 
of necessity either suffer in this world or in 
the next. 

Adore Christ cruciried, and beg of him the grace to par* 
ticipate now in his suffering lite, that you may be one day « 
partaker in his life of glory, . . 

Whoever doth not carry his cross is not 
worthy of me.'^. Lukt xiv. 



192 Pious Reflections 

" What a shame, to be a deUcate member of 
a head crowned with thorns !" St, Bernard. 



Twenty 'tJiird Day. — On Conformiti/ to the 
Will of God. 

1. The greatest happiness of a rational crea- 
ture is, to will that which his Creator willeth. 
It is in this, precisely, that real sanctity consists. 
The Saints are Saints only because their will 
corresponds with the will of God, Whatever 
virtue we may possess, if we have not that of 
conformity to the divine will, we are not truly 
virtuous. • 

2. A soul that is not satisfied with the will 
of God seems in doubt, in some n^easure, of 
his authority. To desiie that what he ordains 
and permits in this world should go on other- 
wise than it does, is to desire that God should 
not be master. Every thing that happens to 
us, happens by his order: and is it not just to 
acquiesce in whatever is ordained by infinite 
wisdom ? 

3. Ail things but sin fallout by God's ap- 
pointment. Though his arm be raised io 
strike, we are sure tiiat his hand is conducted 
by his heart. What have we to fear from a 
heart that loves us ? We will then desire no- 
thing but W'hat he pleases^ we will not complain 
of losses, sickness, trouble, &c. — The name and 
the nature of these things are changed as they 

throucrh {he hands of God. What the 



Jot every Day in the Month. 1 93 

an advantage, a grace, and a favour from 
Heaven, when considered in the order of pro- 
vidence. 

Renounce your own will, and beg of God that his may be 
aecomplished in you. 

Be it so, Father, because it is thy will." 
Matt. xi. 

He is pleasing to God, to whom God is 
pleasing." Hi, Ausihi. 

Twenty-fourth Day. — Confidence in God. 

1. GOD is the greatest parent of mankind : 
our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to call 
him Father, Not a hair can even drop from 
our heads without his knowledge. His pro- 
vidence reaches from end to end, disposing all 
things sweetly. What madness, therefore, to 
doubt of his protection, or be slow in trusting 
ourselves to his guidance ! 

2. The iiisecls are an object of his care: — 
how much more we who are created to his 
image, and redeemed by the blood of his only 
begotten Son. If God feeds the intidels, who 
know him not ; if he heaps favouis on the impi- 
ous, by whom he is blasphemed ; what will he 

j not do for Christians, who honour and love 
him ? 

3. Our affairs are much better off when in 
his hands, than they can be in our own : let us, 
therefore, leave them all at his disposal. He is 
at the same time our Father and our Creator. 
The tenderness he has for his children obliges 
hiin to take care of theau He has promised us 



194 Pious Ref ections 



bis protection— he will then be as good as his 
word. Sooner shall the heavens and the earth 
be destroyed, than that man should perish who 
places his confidence in God. 

Examine your heart, and see whether your confidence be 
"Worthy of the goodness of God, and the merits of Jesus 
Christ. 

" Thou art my God ; my lot is in thy hands." 
Psalm XXX. 

Throw yourself npon him; he will not 
withdraw to let you fall."". St. Austin, 

Twenty-fifth Day. — On the Love of God. 

1. GOD has loved us to such a degree as to 
give ns his only Son. Had he any thing better 
he would have given it us : it it not buying our 
love too dearly, to purchase it at so dear a rate ? 
A trilling bounty from a fellow-creature is en- 
titled to our love ; why then shall we not love a 
bounty that is infinite ? Why doth its being 
infinite render it less ^miable ? 

2. God has strictly enjoined me to love him : 
is a commandment rioorous, which orders us 
to love what is infinitely worthy of our affec- 
tions? He commands us to love him with all 
our hearts : is a heart so small as mine, too 
much for a God so great ? But in saying all^ 
he admits of no exception. Wliatever share I 
give him, if I give him not ali^ I give him 
nothing. 

3. If eternity could have an end^ the tor- 
ments of the damned in Hell, even to the day 
of judgment; would not be too much to obtain 



for every 'Day in the Month. 195 

this heavenly love. There is not one af these 
miserable souls that would not think itself 
liappy, provided, that after ages of sufferings, 
it could love that iniinite beauty. We can love 
God if we please; every moment invites us to 
it. Not to do so while it can be done^ is a 
monsirous insensibility. 

Disclaim every love but tliat of God alone, and endeavour 
to love him above all things, 

" If 1 have not charity I am nothing." 1 Cor. 
xiii. 

Tv;enty-slxth Day. — Lo'ce of Jesus Christ. 

1. NOTHING vv'as ever purchased at so 
dear a rate as my soul. A divine life was given 
to redeem jt. I deserved Hell — justice cried 
out for punishment; but Christ would listen 
only to the emotions of his heart : it pleaded in 
my belialf, and 1 obtained forgiveness. If I 
return him not life fur life, the least I can do 
is to return him love for love. 

2. The dog that I feed watches, caresses, and 
attends me. Jesus has given his blood for me, 
and continues to give n^e himself; yet I am still 
insensible. Learn then, ungrateful soul — lenruj 
1 sr*y, thv duty, from a brute! tliy dog is thy 
t eac i 1 e r a n d t h y j b d ge . 1 f h i s e x a n\ pi e r e f b r ai 
not thy heart, thou art more brutal than he. 

3. We can feel for our friends; we are not 
insensible of the good they do us; we pique 
ourselvf^s upon gratitude. Shall we then be 
ungrateful only to Christj shall he alone find 



195 Pious He flections 

lis hard-hearted ? Had we ever a friend that 
sacrificed himself for us? 

Beg the love of Jesus from Jesus himself. Without his 
grace we shall nero^r be able to love him. 

" 1 f any one love not the Lord Jesus, let him 
be accursed." 1 Cor. vi. 

If I belong to him entirely for having 
" created me, what shall 1 add for having beea 
^' redeemed, and redeemed in so excellent a 

manner?" St. Bernard. 

Tv^enty-se^^enth Day .-iore of our Neighbour. 

1. IF we love not our neighbour, we cannot 
love God. Whatever good we do, is to no 
purpose, if we do not love our brethren. — Even 
martyrdom itself will not avail us williout 
charity. 

2. This is my commandment," said Jesus, 
" that you love each other as I have loved 
you." Had mankind nothing else than Christ's 
love to endear them, tbey are objects of esteem 
for that very reason. Since our Saviour has 
loved them, shall we refuse to do so ? 

3. Do we love all men as Christ has loved 
them ? Do we thirst for their salvaiiou as he 
did ? Do we do by them as we would be done 
by? 

Excite yourself to love those whom our Lord Jesus 
Christ has loved so tenderly : firmly purpose to promote their 
fcalvation, and never to do what may oliend against Charity. 

" Re that lovelh his neighbour hath fulfilled 
the law," Jlo7n, xln. 



for etery Day in the Month. 197 

By charity alone, the children of God are 
distinguished from the children of Satan/' Hi. 
Amiin. 

Twenty-eighth Day. — Love of our Enemies. 

1. SO essential is charity to the Christian 
religion, that we are obliged to love even our 
enemies : Christ hath given the corrmandment, 
and set the example. God o ders it, and shall 
we find it bard to obey ? A God forgives his 
very executioners, and shall we refuse a pardon 
to a brother ? 

2. He that will not forgive, shall not be 
" forgiven." God will not pardon us, but on 
the condition that we pardon others. If we 
seek revenge^ we call down God's anger upon 
us. We must either love our enemies or hate 
ourselves. 

3. It should seem that two Christians who 
hate each other, are not really professors of 

i the same religion; for how can they approach 
the same altar — eat the same food — believe the 
same Heaven— and hope to be together eter- 

t nally? Mutual hatred is allowed but to the 
devils — it belongs to them alone. There is not 
a more formal sign of reprobation, than that 

! of refusing to pardon an enemy : and a soul 

1 in such a disposition may be looked on as 

! marked for Hell. 

Examine your heart at the sight of the crucifix; and if 
' you feel a hatred for any perbon, take scntime*its of charity 
1 from the wounds of Jesus. 



198 Pious Rejleciions 

He that hates his brother is a murderer." 
1 Joh7i iii. 15. 

" You a Christian, and yet desire to be 
revenged ! but Christ hath not yet taken ven- 
geance.'^ Si. Austin. 

Twenty-ninth Xy^iy.—Jmiiation of Christ. 

1. The Son of God, when he \inited liis 
divinity to our human nature, became the 
model of Christians. He is the head of tlie 
predestined: we are therefore bound to re- 
semble him. 

2. The manners of the world are carefully 
studied ; but die life of Jesus Christ is hardly 
thought upon. Courtiers form themselves upon 
their prince; philosophers have been imitated 
even in their faults. Did we ever seriously 
strive to imitate Jesus? Have we taken any 
pains to follow his example, or to copy after 
llie virtues of his holy life ? 

3. What shall we say for ourselves at the 
awful tribunal of Divine Justice, when we shall 
be compared to our model; when the life of 
Jesus shall be opposed to our life — his humility 
to our pride, his wounds to our delicacy, his 
j(weetness to our anger and impatieace? &c. 
Ah i what a monster is a Christian without 
Christianity ! Baptized, and a slave of the devil ! 
under the banners of the cross, yet a follower of 
the flesh of the world ! We must then renounce 
our baptism, or conform to the life of our 
Saviour. 



for every Dai/ in the Month. 199 

See n-h ether you bear any resemblance of the Son of God, 
and v/liether you mav be truly considered as a disciple of a 
crucified Jesus, 

" Master, I will follow thee wheresoever thou 
goest." Matt, viii. 

Without cause am I a Christian, if T follow 
^- not Christ." St. Bernard. 

Thirtieth Day. — On Fervour in the Service 
of God. 

1. LET us liave as much zeal for God as he 
lias for us. He acts exteriorly but for the per- 
fection of our souls. Ali the desires of his heart 
— all the cares of his providence — all the ten- 
derness of his mercy are referred to this. O 
what a subject of confusion for tepid souls ! 

2. Were we to judge of God by our own 
indifference, it might be said that he does not 
deserve our services, and that his rewards are 
very trifling. What idea can be had of a mas- 
ter whose servants attend him carelessly and 
^vithout the smallest affection ? We dishonour 
God, we cry down his services, as often as we 
]>€rform negligently what he requires of us. 
Woe be to the man who does the work of God 
without attention ! 

3. An action done for God, how trifling so- 
ever it may be, is of far greater value than the 
most renowned exploits of heroes. If v;e pique 
ourselves upon so much courage in labouring 
for vanity, what should be done when we are 
employed for eternity ! What ! the servants of 
the Devil spare no pains — they do not complain 



200 Pious Reflections 

of what they gO through they are ever inde- 
fatigable. Is Jesus Christ thea less considerable 
than the Devil ? Is Paradise less valuable than 
Hell ? Hell then shall be^ as it were, our in- 
structor : we are to love God as much as the 
damned hate him ; we are to serve God as 
much as the world serves the Devil. Is this 
too much ? 

Examine your conduct with respect to the service of God ; 
consider the actions in wliich you are most remiss, and ex- 
cite yourself ^to perform them henceforth with a fervour 
worthy your master, 

^' Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord/' Rom. 
Let the ardour you formerly had for the 
world, be row entertained for him that created 
it." SL Austin. 

Thirty-first Day. — On Devotion to the Mother 
of God. 

, 1. A MORE pure, more excellent, or more 
amiable being than this glorious Virgin, was 
never yet created. God having, from all eterr 
nity, destined her to be the mother of his Son, 
it was proper she should be embellished with 
every created excellence, and that her dignity 
and influence in Heaven should far surpass the 
dignity and influence of all the other Saints. 
Most justly then is she entitled to our venera- 
tion, respect, and confidence. 

2, Let us put ourselves under her protec- 
tion; let us recommend ourselves to her 
prayers. How great soever our wickedness, 



for exery Day in the Month. 201 

or how numerous soever our faults may have 
been, let us always have recourse to her, and 
hope, through her prayers, for the grace of our 
conversion. Her charity is so great, lier inter- 
est is so powerful, that she must always plead 
successf\!lly for the repenting sinner. 

3. But let us never forget, that to honour 
her properly, i« to imitate her virtues; that to 
persevere in sin, upon the hopes of her future 
intercession, is equally absurd, impious, and 
detestable. Her hatred of this error should 
be always before our eyes. Her purity, her 
mildness, her patience should be ever present 
to us. 

" Hail, full of grace.'' Luke, I. 
^' O Name ! under which no one should 
despair." St, Austin, 

CONCLUSION. 

1. AS Christians, it would be very profit- 
able for us to reflect every morning, that we 
have on that day a God to glorify, a Saviour 
to imitate, our souls to save, our bodies to 
mortify, virtues to acquire, sins to satisfy for, 
Heaven to seek after, Hell to fly, eternity to 
meditate on, time to improve, temptations to 
resist, the Devil to resist, our neighbour to 
edify, our passions to subdue, the world to 
guard against, and, perhaps, death and judg- 
ment to undergo. Reflect seriously on all 
those important tiuths, and they will not only 
incite you to begin the day well, but also, in 
the course thereof, to make the affair of your 
eternal salvation your principal study. 



202 Piom Reflections, 8^c. 

2. As It is also a duty of the last conse- 
quence to conclude the day properly, nothing 
can prove a more powerful incitement thereto, 
tlian the serious consideration of the many 
spiritual and temporal blessings which God 
hath bestowed on you; the various evils from 
which his providence hath hitherto preserved 
you ; and the absolute uncertainty whetlier you 
shall ever unclose your eyes to behold the next 
morning. Thousands, w^ho had as good a 
rif^ht to expect it as you, w^ere nevertheless 
disappointed. The very bed on w'hich j^ou 
lie is a memento mori, or kind of sepulchre; 
and sleep the image of death. What unac- 
countable rashness then must it be, for a shiner 
to compose himself to sleep in a state of mor- 
tal sin, without first endeavouring to appease 
the wrath of God by an act of contrition, or 
some other spiritual exercise of piety and de- 
votion ; since that very night, perhaps, his soul 
may be required of him. 

3, Let us then guard against this danger by 
a faithful discharge of every Christian duty: 
let us frequently exclaim, with the Prophet, 

Enlighten mine eyes, O Lord, that 1 may 
never sleep in death, lest the enemy, at any 
time, may say, I have prcrr/?7er/ against him."" 
He that desires to make any progress in 
the service of God, must begin every day with 
fresh ardour; he must, as much as, possible, 
keep himself in tlie presence of God, and, in 
all liis actions, have no other object in view but 
that of promoting the divine honour.'" St, G. 
Borromeus. 



3Ieditaiions on the Creed, 203 



MEDITATIONS 

ON THE apostles' CREED, 

Wliich may he used with great spiritual profit by 
Religious Societies, or Private Families assembled 
together i7i common prayer at flight, or at any other . 
time 7nost convenient, on Sunday s. Holy days, ' 



THE METHOD. 

T^HIRTEEN Paters and Aves are annexed to 
these Meditations, in honour of Jesus Christ 
and his twelve apostles. The Meditations to be 
read by the head of the family or community, to 
whicli the assistants should hearken with the most 
devout attention. The prayers to be recited partly 
by the head and partly by the assistants. 

IN the name of the Father^ and of the So7?p 
and of the H0I2/ Ghost. Amen. 

Blessed be the hohj and undivided TrinHj/y\. 
now and for evermore. Amen. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips. 

7^, And my tongue shall declare thy praise. 

V, O God, incline unto mine aid. 

72. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

F. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son^ 
and to the Holy Ghost ; 

72. As it was in the beginning, is now, and 
evermore shall be, world without end. Amen. 

Let us pray. 
PREVENT, O Lord, we beseech thee, 
our actions by thy holy inspirations^ and carry 



Meditations on ike Creed. 



them on by thy gracious assistance, that every 
prayer and work of ours may always begin 
from thee, and may by thee be happily ended ; 
through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Let us recite the Lord's Prayer. 

OUR Father, &c. Give us this day, &c. 

Let us recite the Angelical Salutation, 

HAIL, Mary, &c. Holy Mary, &c. 

Let us recite and devoutly meditate on the different Articles 
of the Creed. 

FIRST ARTICLE. 

/ BELIEVE in God^ the Father Almighty^ 
Maker of Heaven and iSarth.^'* Let us atten- 
tively consider, in this first article of our Creed, 
the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, 
which our Almighty and Sovereign Lord God 
has displayed in the creation of the Heavens 
and of the Earth, and of things visible and 
invisible therein contained. He drew us out 
of the abyss of nothing, and made all things 
for our use and service. He gave us rational 
and immortal souls, stamped with his own 
image and likeness, and capable of knowing, 
loving, and serving him on Earth, and of en- 
joying him for all eternity in the kingdom of 
Heaven. This is the noble, the blessed, and 
the glorious end for which he has vouchsafed 
to create us; and should it not be our chief 
study and care to answer this happy end, by 



Medilaitons on the Creed. 



203 



i dedicating ourselves to him for time and eter- 
\ Aity, and by employing ail our senses and all 
; (he faculties of our souls, in his love and ser- 
vice, and for his greater honour and glory ? 
With this intention let us say, ^' Our Father^" 
&c. Give us this day," &c. Hail; Mary/' 
; &c. Holy Mary/' &c. 

SECOND ARTICLE. 

" And in Jesus Christy his only Son our 
Lord.*^ Let us now meditate on the great 
benefit of our Redemption^ and the boundless 
mercy of tlie only begotten and eternal Son of 
God; who, when four thousand years had 

' elapsed after the creation and fall of our first 
parents from their original innocence, out of 
pure love and compassion came down froai 
Heaven, to reconcile us to his eternal Father, 
and to purchase mercy, grace, and salvatioii 
for us, by the eiTusion of the last drop of his 
precious blood. Thus he became our Jesus, 
our Christ, our Redeemer, our Saviour, our - 
High Priest, our Mediator, our King, our 
Lord, and our Sovereign Master. He claims 
and challenges us, therefore, as his sole right 
and property. We belong to him by every 
title that dominion or jurisdiction can confer. 

j We are his by creation, his by preservation, 
his by the title of his all-ruling providence^ 
We are his, in a very special and particular 
manner, by virtue of our redemption, xls 
Christians, we derive our name from him, and 
•ire his members and temples, dedicated and 



206 Meditations on the Creed. 

consecrated to liira by the solemn vows and 
covenant of our baptism. Xet us then offer 
all our thoughts, words, and actions, to his 
honour and glory, and let us employ our 
whole lives in loving and serving him faithfully ; 
saying, for this end, the prayers which himself 
and his Church have taught us. Our Fa- 
ther," &c. " Give us this day," &c. " Hail, 
Mary," &c. " Holy Mary," &c. 

THIRD ARTICLE. 

Who was conceived hy the Holy Ghost ; 
lorn of the Virgin il/ary." We are now to 
meditate on the wonderful mystery of the in- 
carnation and the temporal nativity of the Sdn 
of God. When the fullness of time, appointed 
for the redemption of mankind, was come, the 
second person of the blessed Trinity assumed 
our flesh in the w^omb of his blessed mother ; 
that the divine and human nature being thus 
imited in his person, he might be capable of 
satisfying divine justice for the injury which 
God had received by sin. He became man 
for our salvation, not in the ordinary^ but 
after a supernatural and incomprehensible 
vnamier^ by the operation of the Holy Ghost. 
But although the incarnation, considered par- 
ticularly as a work of divine mercy, goodness, 
and love, be particularly attributed to the 
Holy Ghost ; and although the three Persons 
of the blessed Trinity, essentially possessing 
the same undivided powers, have equally con- 
curred therein ; yet this wonderful work w^as 



Meditations on the Creed, 



207 



effected only by the second Person : his sacred 
body was formed of the most pure blood of 
his Virgin Mother, without the least violation 
of her virginal integrity, and a most perfect 
soul was created to animate his body. Being 
thus miraculously conceived, he was also, after 
the space of nine months, miraculously born in 
a stable at Bethlehem, under the reign of 
Augustus Caesar. As man, being at the same 
time true God, he subjected himself to all our 
infirmities and miseries, sin only excepted, of 
wliich he was incapable. At so early a period 
as at his very first entrance into the world, he 
was pleased to suffer for us, and to give us, in 
his tender infancy, the most perfect example of 
poverty, humility, and mortification ; that he 
might thereby manifest to us the infinite riches 
of his mercy and goodness, and teach us to 
despise the sinful vanities of the world. He 
discovered himself to the Shepherds by a choic 
' of angels from Heaven, to shew that he came 
^ to be the Savioar of the Jews. He manifested 
1 himself also to the eastern Magi by a star froai 
I Heaven, to shew that he was likewise com,e to 
\ be the Saviour of the Gentiles. — He continued 
to live in a poor, private, and retired manner, 
till he was thirty years of age, wlien he began 
j to preach the Gospel, to cast out devils, to 
I cure the dumb, the deaf, the hime, and blind, 
and to work the most stupendous miracles, in 
favour of a people the most ungrateful on the 
face of the earth. Let us not imitate them; 
j let us rather embrace our divine Redeemer 
with all the affections of our souU; and ever 
M 2 



208 Meditations on the Creed, 

retain a most gratefui sense of the innumerable 
benefits he has conferred on us; devoutly sayhig, 
Our Faiher/' &c. ^' Give us this day/' &c. 
Hail, Biary;' &c. Hc)iy Mary," &c, 

FOURTH ARTICLE. 

Suffered under Pontius Pilate ; was 
crucified^ dead, and buried.^' Let us here 
meditate on the dolorous mysteries of our dear 
Recleemer's passion, cmcifixion, death, and 
burial. To show the greatness of his love for 
lis, and the plenteous redemption which he 
brought us, he was pleased to suffer every kind 
of torment with which human nature could be 
afflicted. What was sufficient for our sal- 
vation," says> St. Bernard, was not suffi- 
cient for his charity," When he could have 
Baved us with a single drop of his blood, he 
redcerned us with a deluge liiereof, after a 
painful life of thirty-three years. His passion 
bigan in the Garden of Gethsemani, at the 
foot of Mount Olivet, near Jerusalem, and 
f nded only on Mount Calvary ; Tiberius being 
then emperor of Home, and Pontius Pilate 
governor or president of Judea. He suffered 
in his soul and in his body — in his senses and 
in all his members, from the sole of his foot to 
the crown of his head. He was buffeted and 
spit, upon' ; he was mocked and insulted ; he 
was scourged; he was crowned with thorns; 
and, at length, his hands and feet were pierced 
and fastened with gross nails to an ignomi- 
nious cross; and, after hanging alive thereon, 



Medifcitions on the Creed, 



209 



between two thieves, in the most excruciating 
pafns, fur the space of three long hout'Sj he 
expired, and gave up his blessed soul into the 
hands of his eternal Father. After his deatli, 
liis sacred body being taken oft the cross on 
Good- Friday, in the atternoon, and being em- 
baln^ed, according to the custom of the Jews, 
by Joseph of Arimatliea and Nicodemus, it 
was wrapped up in linen cloth, and laid in a 
new monument, hewn out of a rock near 
Mount Calvary. — O let us not tlien repay the 
boundless love of our crucified Redeemer with 
sin and ingratitude, but let us rather make the 
best return we are able of love and gratitude to 
him, who suffered so much for our sake; 
devoutly saying, Our Father," &c. Give 
us tliis dav," &c.— Hall, iMarv," &c. " Holy 
Mary," &c. 

FIFTH ARTICLE. 

He descended into hell: ike third day he 
rose again from the dead^ Here let us m.edi- 
tate how our Saviour's blessed soul, \vhen 
separated from his body, descended into hell, 
or the dreary prison where the souls of the 
holy Patriarchs and Saints of ilie old testa- 
luent were detained, until he had paid tli.e^ 
price of their redemption, and opened for them: 
ilie gates of Heaven, which had remained shut 
ngainst mankind from the fall of Adam until 
that time. — We may judo^e how the presence 
and sight of their so long wishecl-for Redeemer 
turned their gloomy prison into a paradise of 
delights, and occasioned unspeakable joy to 



SIO Meditations on the Creed, 



the holy souls to whom he came to preach the 
gospel of redemption, release from their tedi- 
ous captivity, and carry up with him to Heaven 
at his ascension, as the first fruits of his vic- 
torious triumph over sin and death. Having 
comforted them by these happy tidings, his 
blessed soul, after remaining part of three days 
subject to the laws of death, returned from 
this prison to the sepulchre, and being re- 
united to his body, he rose early in the morn- 
ing on the third day from the bowels of the 
earth, by his own divine power, and was the 
first who from death rose to a glorious and 
immortal life. — His resurrection is a perfect 
model for us to copy after. Let us endeavour 
to imitate it by a spiritual resurrection from 
the death of sin to a new life of grace, so as 
to continue for ever to live with him, and to 
return no more to tl e death of mortal sin. For 
this end let us implore his divine assistance; 
saying with devotion, Our Father," &c. 
" Give us this day," &c. Hail, Mary,'' &c, 
" Holy Mary," &c. 

SIXTH ARTICLE. 

'' He ascended into heaven^ and sitteth at 
the right hand of God^ the Father Almighty J""* 
Let us here meditate how our Divine 
Redeemer, after accomplishing the great work 
of our redemption, ascended triumphantly from 
the top of Mount Olivet into the kingdom of 
heaven, on the fortieth day after his glorious 
resurrection, in the presence of his Aposdes and 
DiscipleS; till a cloud at length interposed and 



Meditations on the Creed. 2 14 



took him out of their sij^ht. I{e tlien with- 
drew his visible presence from the world ; 
raised human nature above the choir of Saints 
and Angels, to the hiijhest seat in the kin^rdoiu 
of Heaven, where, in full possession of the glory 
of his eternal Father, he pleads for us with the 
pow^erful eloquence of his sacred w'ounds, 
which he incessantly represents to him, in 
quality of our High Piiest, Mediator, and 
Advocate. — O what a comfortable reflection, 
to think that we have such an affectionate 
friend in the court of Heaven I O what 
encouragement to raise our hopes ! what in- 
ducement to follow him with our hearts, and 
ascend after him in spirit and alfection ! For 
this end let us beseech him to break the chains 
of our sins and the fetters of our passions, 
which so unhappily tie down our affections to 
the Earth; devoutly saying, Our Father," &c. 
" Give us thisdav," &c.— Hail, Mary," &c. 
" Holy Mary," &c. 

SEVENTH ARTICLE. 

From ichence he shall come to judge both 
the quick and the deadV Here let us meditate 
on our blessed Redeemer's return at tlie end of 
the world, with great pomp and majesty, in 
quality of Sovereign Judge of the living and 
the dead. As soon as the last trumpet shall 
sound these w-ords in the four corners of the 
earth, Arise, ye dead, and come to Judg- 
ment!" the whole race of mankind, both the 
good and the v/icked, are to appear before his 
awful tribunal; in sight of Mount Calvary, iu 



212 3'lediialions on the Creed. 



order to give a strict account of all tlieir 
thoughts, words, and actions : for, besides ll^^ 
particidar judament that is passed on every soul 
immediately after death, the justice of God 
requires that a general judgment siiould also 
take place, in order that the children of Adam 
Frhouid be assembled together, and receive their 
sentence, either of eternal salvation or eternal 
reprobation. O let us make a timely provisioa 
lor this woeful day, in order that v/e may then 
jncet with a favourable judgment, and be en- 
titled to receive the happy se^^itence of the elect ; 
^-aylng for this end, ^' Our Father," &c. " (Jive 
lis this day," &c,—" Hail, Mary," &c. ^^Holy 
Mary," Sic, 

EIGHTH ARTICLE. 

^' J Beljevf. in the Holy GiiosL'^ XiCt us 
Jiov/ mcditnte on the great work of our saucti-5 
ilcation, which is particularly attributed to tlie 
lloiy Ghost, the third person of the ever-blessed 
Trinity : because lie is tlie love of the Father 
|i]\d the Bon, and because it is froi^j God's love 
to us that all sanctity, all grace, al! justiticatiori 
and virtue How. For which reason the Aposila 
says, the chanty of God is poured into our 
iieaits by tlie Holy Ghost, who is given to us." 
We first receive tlie Holy Ghost and are made 
liis living temples at the font of bayitisrn, and 
.iUerwards we receive him in a more perfect 
> uirniev in the sacrament of confirmation, &:c. 
■■ ) what a happiness it is to possess this divine 
.ii'i heavenly i^^uest in our souls ! and how 
solicitous should we be to invite him into our 



Meditations on the Creed. 



hearts, engage him to stay witli us, and to make 
our souls his dweUing-place for time and eter- 
nity ! Let us devoutly implore (liis greatest of 
blessings, saying, " Our Father," &c. Give 
us thisliay," &c. ^' Hail, Marv," &c. " Holy 
Mary," &c. 

NINTH ATITICLE. 

The Hohj Catholic Church ; the Com- 
munion of Sai?its,^^ We are now to meditate 
on the infinite goodness and mercy of God, 
who, by a special grace, has vouchsafed to call 
us to the light of his true and saving faith, and 
to include us within the pale and bosom of his 
one Holy, Catholic, and Apostohc Church, in 
preference to so many thousands, in different 
parts of the world, left in ignorance, or buried in 
the darkness of error and infidehty. This grace 
of our vocation is so signal a blessinnr, that it 
calls upon us for our raost grateful acknowledg-^ 
ments, and will render us more culpable at the 
last day than pagans or infidels, if, instead of 
Uving up to our holy profession, we dishonour 
it by the immorality of our lives. On tlie con- 
trary, if we square our actions according to our 
belief; if we shew the purity of our religion by 
the purity of our morals, and live as becomes 
worthy members of the Catholic Church; we 
shall assuredly be made partakers of al! spiritual 
blessings and treasure thereof, and benefit by all 
the prayers, sacrifices, and good works^ which 
are wrought therein l)y our fellow members : for 
as there subsists a common union between all 
I the parts of the human body^^ there subsistSj in 



214 Meditations on the Creed. 

like manner, a common or general union in 
spirituals between all the parts of Christ's 
mystical body, the holy Catholic Church. O 
what an inestimable blessing then must it be, to 
live and die in the communion of this Church! 
and, on the contrary, what a grievous loss 
and misfortune to be cut off therefrom by ex- 
commi^nication, like rotten and dead members 
separated from a natural body by amputation ! 
Let us beware of incurring the like misfortune, 
and beseech the Almighty to grant us grace to 
be always obedient hearers of the pastors of his 
Church, those spiritual guides to whom he has 
committed the care of our souls ; saying for this 
end, Oar Father," &c. Give us this day," 
&c,— Hail, Mary," &c. " Holy Mary," &c. 

TENTH ARTICLE. 

" The Forgiveness of SinsJ*^ Here let us 
also meditate on a second signal advantage 
which may be obtained within the pale of the 
holy Catholic Church. Besides the mutual 
communication in spirituals, and participation 
of good works, that subsist between all the 
parts of the Church in their three different 
states — viz. the Saints in heaven, the souls in 
purgatory, and the true believers on Earth, 
who compose the Church triumphant, sufferant, 
and militant— the Apostles also teach us, in 
this article of their Creed, that there is a power 
left by Jesus Clu'ist to his Church, to forgive the 
sins of such as truly repent, and properly apply 
for absolution. Original sin |has been already 
remitted by tlie sacrament of baptism, and the 



Mediiations on the Creed. 



215 



actual sins committed after baptism are pardon- 
ed in the sacrament of penance, when duly 
administered by the pastors of the Church, and 
received with the proper dispositions on the part 
of the repenting sinner. Let us therefore be- 
seech the Father of Mercies to grant us these 
dispositions, saying. Our Father." &c. ''Give 
us tliis day," &c.— Hail, Marv/' &c. " Holy 
Mary," &c. 

ELETENTH ARTICLE. 

T HE Resurrection of the F/esJu^^ "Let us 
here meditate on a third signal privilege reserved 
in the next life for the living members of the 
holy Catholic Church. On the last day there 
will be a general resurrection of the dead, when 
the whole human race, which at the fall of our 
first parents had been sentenced to return to 
their original dust, shall arise again to receive 
their final and irrevocable doom. As soon as 
the angel, by the sound of his trumpet, pro- 
claims the awful summons, ''Arise, ye dead, and 
come to judgment!" the bodies of all the chil- 
dren of Adam, re-animated by their respective 
souls, shall instantaneously, in the twinkling 
of an eye," issue forth out of their several graves 
and sepulchres, never more to be separated for 
an endless eternity. But, alas ! how very differ- 
ent will be the manner of the resurrection of 
the reprobate from that of the elect I for whereas 
the bodies of the former shall arise in a con- 
dition suitable to their deserts — thai is, foul, 
hideous, heavy, inactive, and only fit to be the 
fuel of everlasting flames, (immortal indeed they 



216 



Meditations on the Creed. 



shall be, but to no other end than to endure 
imniorta! torments,)— so those of the hitter shall 
arise glorious, beautiful, immortal, and im- 
passible, brighter than the stars, and more 
resplendent than the sun. This glorious state 
of immortality is infallibly reserved for the 
bodies of such Christians as in this life have 
been as it were consecrated by receiving the 
holy sacraments, and particularly the Eucha- 
rist; since Christ him.self expressly declares, 
^' He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my 
blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him 
lip at the last day." O let us then frequently 
approach this heavenly banquet, with the pro- 
per dispositions, that thereby our bodies and 
souls, being preserved pure from the corruption 
of sin, niay both arise together at the last ciay 
to a happy immortality. That this may be our 
happy lot, let ns, with the most fervent devotion, 
say, " Our Father," &c. " Give us this dav," 
&c.— ^- Hail, Mary," &c. " Holy Mary," &c. 

TV/ ELFTH ARTICLE. 

LiF'E Everlasling.''^ This is the fourth 
and hnal blessing attainable within the pale of 
the holy Catholic Church, and reserved for the 
children of light in the next world. It is the 
last end of man, the uUimate reward that awaits 
true faith, animated by charity and good works, 
and it essentially consists in the clear vision and 
fruition of God. O let us lead such lives here 
on earth, that we may hereafter live with Jesus 
Christ, in the glory of his eternal Father, for 
ever and ever: and that this may be our happy 



Salve Regina. 217 

case, let us devoutly sayj Our Father," &c. 
" Give us ihisday," rIaiL Mary," &c. 

" Holy Mary/' &c. 

SALVE, REGINA. 

HAIL, happy Queen ! thou mercy's parent, 
hail! 

I Life, hope, and comfort of tliis earthly vale : 
\ ' To thee we Eva's wretched children ci y ; 
ij' In sighs and tears to thee we suppliants fly. 
Rise, glorious advocate ! exert thy love, 
And let our vows thine eyes of pity move. 
O sweet, O pious maid ! for us obtain, ^ 
For us who long have in our exile lain, ^ 
To see thy Jesus, and with him to reign. y 
F. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God; 
R. That we may be made worthy of the 
promises of Christ. 

V, Fray for us, O ye holy Apostles, and all 
ye Saints of God ; 

R, That we may be, &c. 

Let lis Praj/, 

We beseech thee, O Lord, that by the in- 
I tercession of the blessed and glorious Virgin 
!j Mary, of thy holy Apostles, and of all thy 

Saints, thou wouldst vouchsafe to protect and 
! defend us from the snares of the enemy, and 

conduct us unto life everlasting. Auien. 



( 218 ) 



DEVOTIONS FOR THE SICK. 

INSTRUCTION. 

THE state of sickness and sufferings is to 
be regarded as a fatherly visitation, whereby 
God knocks at the door of our hearts, to put 
us in mind of our mortality. It is a call from 
lieaven; a timely warning to prepare for 
ecernity, by spending the remainder of our life 
in the love and service of our Creator. It is 
t\\^ touchstone of patience; the school, or ra- 
ther the harzcst of penance, resignation, and 
every christian virtue. 1 1 is the lest of our love, 
by which we may judge Avhether we acquit our- 
selves of duties that are agreeable to nature, in 
conformity to the will of God, or only do them 
because they are agreeable to our own wilL 
We know not what we are until we are tried. 
It costs us notliing to say, We love diee, O 
God, above all things," or to shew the courage 
of martyrs at a distance, when we have nothing 
to cross or thwart our inchmitions ; but that 
love is sincere which stands the ])roof. 

If we loved God sincerely^ we would on all 
occasions embrace, desire, and find no hap- 
piness but in the accomplishment of his holy 
AvilL We woultl be prepared to bear whatever 
crosses and calamities lie is pleased to send us, 
"with a patient resignation. We would rejoice, 
iri them as the greatest blessings, and the sources 
of ir^unortal oovvus* We would regard theia 
as preciuus lalents^ to be improved by the in- 



Detoiions for the Sicl\ 219 

crease of our love and alfection for God, and 
the exercise of the most heroic virtues of self- 
denial, patience, humility, &c. 

To be dejected and impatient under sickness 
and trials, to indulge murmurs and complaints, 
to repine, and call ourselves wretched and un- 
happy, &c. are signs that an inordinate self- 
love reigns in our hearts, and that we seek our 
own inclinations more than the will of God, 
who has bequeathed the cross to his elect as 
their portion and inheritance in this world. It 
is in vain that we take the name of Christians, 
or pretend to follow Christ, unless we also carry 
our cross after his example. It is in vain for us 
to expect to be glorified with Jesus, unless we 
also suffer with Jesus. He sacrificed himself 
for us on the cross, that he might unite us on 
it eternally to himself We cannot arrive at 
heaven by any other road. If we courageously 
embrace our cross, God will be our comfort and 
support, as he was the comfort and support of 
the holy martyrs under the most severe trials. 
He will not forsake us, unless we first forsake 
him by sin. 

Too nice and anxious a care of health, is 

I also an evident sign of inordinate self-love and 
hatred of mortification. Nevertheless as a man 
is not master of his own life or health, he is 
bound to take a moderate and reasonable care 
not to throw either of them away, nor neglect 
tlie essential prescriptions of physicians in the 
simple and ordinary remedies and succours of 

\ medicine. Br.t he who trusts more in the art 

I of physiciailSj than in the Lord, deserves to 

1 



220 Devotions for the Sick. 

be disappointed, like Asa, King of Juda, wlio 
became the victim of death because he placed 
more confidence in his physician than in God. 
Wherefore a Christian in his sickness should 
in the first place consider God as his chief 
physician ; make his peace with him, and seek 
tlie health of his soul, by having recourse to 
the holy sacraments in due time, whilst he is in 
a condition to receive them with the proper dis- 
positions. If he be in debt, or has any restitu- 
tion or satisfaction to make, he should take care 
to have these obligations discharged to the best 
of his power. He should settle his temporal 
affairs without delay, that he may wdiolly apply 
his thoughts afterwards, without any disturb- 
ance, to the care of his immortal soul. He 
ought to beg of God to extinguish in him all 
self-love, and to dispose of him as he pleases. 
He ought to excite in his soul devout acts of 
faith, hope, charity, contrition, patience, resig- 
nation, &c. He should endeavour to sanctify 
his sufTerings, by receiving them from the hand 
of God, by bearing them in the spirit of 
penance, by offering them in satisfaction for 
his sins, and by uniting them with the sufferings 
of his blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus 
Christ. — " Onuiia si per das ^ animam servare 
memento,'*'' '^Although you should lose every 
thing elsej be careful to save your soul." 



Drcoiions for the Skl\ 



A Prater in the beginning of Sichness. 

O PrlY Godj I accept of this sickness with 
which thou art pleased to visit me^ as a favour 
froui thy fatherly hand. 1 accept of all its cir- 
cumstances and consequences, in satisfaction for 
my sins. Thou hast given me health and 
strength, O Lord, and thou hast taken them 
away ; may thy holy name, O Lord, be blessed 
for ever. I bow down my v/nole soul to adore 
thee, in all thy appointments. I resign myself 
entirely into the hands of thy providence, and 
acknowledge that thou dost treat me with too 
much indulgence. 1 know 1 deserve greater 
evils than those I now endure, and that I 
merit, by my sins, pains infinitely greater than 
even the pains of hell, where I w^ould long 
since have been, had not thy pure mercy in- 
terposed between my soul and thy justice. 
Alas I how many are now suffering there for 
crimes less than mine ? -My pains are nothing in 
comparison to theirs. I have no reason to com- 
plain. — O may thy holy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven, I offer myself, with an entire 
submission, to suffer whatever thou pleasest, as 
long as thou pleasest, and in what manner thou 
pleasest. May this sickness be to the honour of 
thy holy name, and to the good of my souL 
But, O Lord, have regard to my weakness, 
and deal not with me according to my sins ; 
but according to the multitude of thy tender 
mercies have compassion on me. Confirm my 
soul with strength from above^ that I may be 

N 3 



222 Devotions for the Sich 

patient under all uneasiness, pains^ disquietudes, 
and difficulties of my illness. Grant that I 
may carefully submit to them, as a just punish- 
ment of my manifold oifences, and duly offer 
them in conjunction with the sufferings and 
death of my blessed Redeemer on the cross, 
through whose merits I look for mercy, and 
hope to possess eternal life. Have pity on me, 

0 most loving Father ! clothe me with thy 
grace, and receive me into the arms of thy 
mercy. Create a clean heart within me, O 
God, and renew an upright spirit within ray 
bowels ; cast out from thence whatever profanes 
or defiles thy temple; destroy and root out 
what is displeasing to thee, and lay in me the 
foundation of a new life, either for this w^orld 
or the world to come. 1 am heartily sorry that 

1 ever offended thy infinite goodness, m 
thought, wwd, deed, or omission, I most 
humbly implore thy pardon for all my sins. I 
now purpose not to offend thee any more, and 
to avoid every thing that may be to me an occa- 
sion of sin. I resolve to make restitution and 
satisfaction for the injuries I have committed. 
For the love of thee, I sincerely forgive all 
those who have injured me or done me wrong : 
I beseech thee to pardon them, and grant them 
the same blessings that I desire for my own 
soul. With the utmost humility I also hear- 
tily beg pardon of all those to whom I have 
given any offence; whether by ill example, by 
v/ords, deeds, or any other way, deliberately or 
unknowingly. Thou seest, O Lord, how frail 
1 am, and» that I am nothing but dust and 



Devotions for the Sick. 223 

ashes; preserve me from all temptations, and be 
thou my defence against all the assaults of the 
evil spirit, that in this sickness I may no ways 
oiiend thee ; and if this is to be my last, I beg 
of thee so to direct me by thy grace^ that I may 
not neglect the necessary means of salvation^ or 
be deprived of any of those powerful helps 
which thou hast in thy mercy ordained for tlie 
good of my soul. Prepare it, O Lord, for its 
passage into eternity ; that being perfectly 
cleansed from all my iniquities, 1 may be ad- 
mitted one day into the kingdom of thy glory, 
there to love and praise thee for ever in the 
company of thy blessed angels and saints. 
Amen. 

" Lord, thy thorns are my roses, and thy 
sufferings my paradise." St. Felix. 

Tears of devotion are sweeter than the joys 
of theatres." Si, Augustin. 

— 

A Prayer before receiving the Viaticum. 

O MY blessed Redeertier Jesus Christ, I 
Ifirmly believe thou art really present in this 
venerable sacrament, which I am now about 
to receive by way of viaticum. I believe it 
contains thy sacred body and blood, accom- 
panied with thy soul and divinity. I desire to 
receive this heavenly banquet, for thy honour 
and glory, and the good of my soul, that I may 
be happily united to thee. 1 desire to com- 
memorate thy sufferings as thou hast com- 
manded. But how shall I dare to approach 
N 4 ' - 



2f4 Detoiions for the Sick. 

thee ? so wretched a wornij to so infinite a 
nvajesty ! so filthy a sinner, to bo infinite purity 
and sanctity! It is therefore in- thy mercy that 
1 place niy whole trust; and since thou art 
pleased to invite thyself unto so poor, so wretch- 
ed, so mean a cottage, as this of my breast, 
Youchsafe, 1 beseech thee^ to grant me those 
graces, that reverence, humihty, and devotion, 
which may prepare a fit abode for thy reception* 
Cleanse my soul fi'om every foul stain of sin, 
clothe it with the nuptial garment of charity, 
and adorn rt vAth all virtues. 1 come to thee 
like Magdalene, that I may be deliveretl from 
all my evils, and that I may embrace thee, my 
only good. I detest, with my whole heart, all 
the sins of my past life, because they have 
offended thy goodness. I desire to lay them 
alt down here at thy feet, to be cancelled by thy 
precious blood. 1 am sorry for them, and will 
be sorry for them as long as I live. I will 
bewail them in the bitterness of my soul. They 
are many and grievous, 'tis true, yet they are 
nothing when compared to thy boundless mercy, 
and to the infinite ransom of thy precious blood. 
Forgive me then, sweet Jesus, for thy mercy 
sake ; have pity on me and save me, since thou 
forsakest none that place their hope in thee. I 
love thee, my God^ with my whole heart and 
soul, above all things in heaven or on earth ! 
at least 1 earnestly desire so to love thee, and 
consecrate myself eternally to thee. O come 
and take fulh possession of my heart for ever; 
1 offer it to thee without reserve: O come and 
inlkm« it with the celestial fire of thy divice 



Devotions for the Sick. 225 

love ; and let nothing in life or death ever more 
separate me from thee. O sweet Jesus^ prepare 
me for a worthy reception of the blessing thoii 
art now about to bestow on me. I adore and 
worship thee, humbled in mind and body, and 
confess myself to be nothing but dust and ashes 
in thy presence. It is my confidence in thy 
goodness that make^ me presume to approacli 
thee, for I cannot but acknowledge myself in- 
finitely unworthy. JDomine non sum dignusy 

For a Prayer after receiving the viaticum, see page 121. 

A Prayer before Extreme Unction, 

O LORD Jesus Christ, who in the abund- 
ance of thy mercy hast provided powerful 
resources for relief in all our necessities, grant 
me grace to have recourse to them with such 
Avonhy dispositions, that my soul may partake 
of all those oreat advantao^es and salutary effects 
vvhicil thou hast appointed in their institution. 
Thou hast instituted the sacrament of Extreme 
Unction for the benefit of the sick, who, in the 
extremity of life, stand in need of more graces, 
more helps, and more consolation, than ever. 
I now desire to receive this heavenly medicine, 
fc)r the ends for %vhich it has been instituted. 
1 am willing to be anointed, as thou has com- 
manded by the apostle St. James. Grant, I 
beseech thee, that this lioly Unction may 
produce in me all its happy fruits^ by healing 



226 Devotions for the Sick. 



my soul fmm the ulcers of sin, by fortifying me 
against all temptations, by supporting me in 
the hour of anguish and distress, and by 
preparing me for a happy passage out of tliis 
life, or whatever may be thy holy will. Shouldst 
thou foresee th^t my health may be conducive 
to thy greater glory, and expedient for my 
eternal salvation, let this be the means to restore 
it. 1 absolutely submit myself to thy divine 
will and pleasure. 1 wish not to live but to 
serve thee. Dispose of me as thou knovvest 
best : do with me as thou pleasest. All I desire 
is the accomplishment of thy most holy will. 
Give me health or sickness, life or death ; give 
me whatsoever thou pleasest; not my will. O 
Lord, but thine be done ; it is a greater hap- 
piness to fulfil thy will than to enjoy ten 
thousand lives. O how happy should I be, if 
the destruction of my body could repair the 
injury i have otTered to thy divine Majesty ! My 
et/es^ alas ! have seen vanities ; my ears^ have 
been open to detractions, to profane and unpro- 
fitable discourses ; my tongue has many ways 
offended thee, both in speaking and tasting; 
my hands have contributed to many follies ; my 
feet have often gone astray in the padis of vanity 
and sin. By this holy anointing, and the 
prayers of thy Church, pardon me, O Jesus, 
all the sins I have ever conmiitted by these my 
five senses. L<et those avenues througli which 
sin has made its way into my soul, be now shut 
to the world ; let my eyes be open to thee alone, 
my Jesus ; let my ears be now attentive to thy 
commands, and to thy call ; let my tongue be 



Demotions for the Side. 



227 



solely employed in crying out for mercy; let my 
prayers ascend like incense in thy sight ; let my 
hands be lifted up to heaven for pardon : let 
my feet walk in thy ways ; and let my heart be 
the living temple of the Floly Ghost. Into tliy 
hands, O dear Jesus, I commend rny spirit. 
In thee 1 will live, in tliee I will die, in thee I 
will abide, and in thee 1 hope to possess eternal 
rest and heavenly joy, for ever and ever. Ameiu 

A Prayer after Extreme JJnction. 

O MY God, thou hast created, redeemed^ 
and sanctiiied me; thou hast preserved me in 
many dangers both of soul and body ; thou hast 
nourislied me with the adorable sacrament of 
thy body and blood, and granted m.e the grace 
to receive the rites of thy Church, preferably 
to so many others, who are carried off by a 
sudden death, without being-favoured with those 
.succours and graces which thou hast bestowed 
upon me, a most ungrateful sinner. For these 
and all thy other blessings, I oiler tliee innu- 
merable thanks. O that 1 had as many tongues^ 
and hearts, as there are stars in the heavens^ 
atoms in the air, and creatures in the universe ; 
how willingly would 1 employ them all in 
praising, loving, and glorifying thee ! To thee 
I resign my heart : receive it as an holocaust. 
Into thy hands , O Lord, I commend my spiri t : 
receive me, Odear Jesus, in thy mercy — receive 
me into thy loving arms, which were stretched 
forth on the cross for my redemption — receive 
me into the embraces of thy infinite charity. 



228 Devotions for the Sick. 

1 do not desire to be freed from my pains — than 
knowest what is best for me : do but take from 
me all murmuring, and give me patience to 
suffer whatever thou wiliest, and as long as 
thou pleasest. Should it be thy divine pleasure 
lo inflict on my weak body and languishing 
soul, greater punishments than I now suffer, 
jny heart is ready, O Lord, my heart is ready 
to accept them, and to suffer in whatever manner 
and measure may be most conformable to thy 
will. This one grace I most earnestly beg of 
thee, my God — that Imay die the death of the 
justj and be admitted, after the sufferings and 
tribulations of this transitory and sinful life, into 
the kingdom of thy glory, there to see and enjoy 
thee in the company of the blessed, for a never- 
ending eternity. Amen. 

^ — ^ 

SHORT ACTS OF VIRTUE 

In time of Sickness. 

1 Acknowledge, O Lord, that I am a 
sinner: accept, therefore, of whaf I now suffer 
in atonement for my sins. Help me to receive, 
with submission and resignation^ whatever 
afflictions thou shall please to send me. 

I am content to suffer here, provided thou 
dost spare me hereafter. 1 know that it is by 
many tribulations we must enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. 1 know that those who 
would be glorified with Jesus, must also suffer 
with Jesus. 1 am convinced that the sufferings 
of this present time are not to be set in com- 
petition with the eternal glory which shall be 



Devotions for the Sick. 



2S9 



revealed in us. 1 believe that the present mo- 
mentary and light tribulation worketli in us^ 
above measure, an eternal weight of glory. 

I offer myself, and all that 1 have or am, to 
thee. Da with me, my God, whatever thou 
pleasest. Shall I not drink the cup which my 
father hath given me ? Not my wiil^ but thine, 
be done. 

O sweetness of my heart, and love of my 
soul ! take off my heart and thoughts from this 
world, that all my comfort may be in thee. O 
when w^ill thy kingdom come ? O Lord, when 
wilt thou perfectly reign in all hearts ? when 
shall sin be no more ? Wound my heart with 
thy love^ that it may relish nothing that is 
earthly. O that 1 had never offended so good a 
God! O that I had never sinned! Happy 
those souls that have always preserved their 
baptismal innocence. 

O my God, all my hopes are in thee. Thro' 
Jesus Christ my Redeemer, 1 hope for mercy, 
grace, and salvation. 

0 sweet and adorable Jesus ! O spotless 
Ijamb! O innocent Victim ! who by thy passion 
and death hath effaced the sins of mankind — blot 
out my iniquities, and do not permit that thy 
sufferings should become useless to me. 

Look, O God, on this poor piece of clay^ 
and help me in m^y distress. O my Jesus! I 
love thee — I love thee above all things, and 
desire to love thee alone, because thou alone art 
worthy of my love. 

1 cast myself into the arms of thy holy love. 
.4 abandon myself entirely to thy blessed will. 



230 



IJevoiions for the Sicli:, 



My imworthiness humbles and confounds me; 
but the sight of thy wounds, OJe^^us, proclaims 
aloud how great thy mercy is, and how far it 
exceeds my misery. 

O boundless love of my Jesus ! inflame my 
heart with thy heavenly fire. Consume in me all 
earthly affections, and confirm my soul in thy 
holy love for ever. 

O Jesus, torn with stripes, pierced with thorns, 
and weltering in blood, for my sake ! teach m^ 
to endure, for the love of thee, the anguish and 
inconvenience of my infirmities and sickness. 

O Jesus, raised upon the cross, attract me 
now most powerfully to thyself, that my v/hole 
occupation may be to love, praise, and adore 
thee for ever. Hail, sacred v/ounds of the hands 
and feet of Jesus ! Hail, precious streams of 
blood, that flowed from those painful wounds ! 
Infinite praise, honour, and glory be to thee, my 
amxiable Redeemer, for suffering such pains for 
the love of me. Ah, how does it pierce my 
heart with sorrow, to contemplate thee, and to 
consider the torments thou didst suffer for my 
salvation ! 

Hail, sacred wound of the side of Jesus ! 
hail, blessed passage to the sacred heart of my 
divine Redeemer ! O that I could contemplate 
thee with the love of a Magdalene, and melt 
into tears of sweet devotion in honour of thee! 
By the sacred wounds of thy hands, of thy 
feet, and of thy side; by the precious streams 
that flowed from them ; by thy blessed heart, 
burnin^T witli love for me ; 1 beg and beseech 
thee never to forsake mcj but to grant me 



Preparation for Death. 231 

-whatever thou seest necessary for the sanctifica- 
tion of my soul. 

Glory be to the Father, who by his pov;er 
hath brought me forth from nothing, and made 
me to his own image and likeness. Glory be • 
to the Son, who by his wisdom hath delivered 
me from hell, and opened for me the gates of 
heaven. Glory be to the Holy Ghost, who by 
liis mercy hath sanctified me in baptism, and 
still continues to sanctify me by the graces 
which I daily receive. Glory be to the three 
adorable persons of the blessed Trinity. O 
may 1 behold and glorify eternally in heaven, 
vvhat I believe, adore, and worship on earth — 
one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost, Amen, 

Here we have no permanent city, but we 
seek that which is to come." Ueb, xili. 14. 

While we are in the body, we are strangers 
fro mi the Lord. 2 Cor. v. (i. 

Wliether we live or die, we beloncr to the 
Lord." Mom. xiv. S. 



PREPARxiTION FOR DEATH. 



^ INSTRUCTION. 

THE last mom.ents of a Christian are not 
onlv the most precious of his life, but to him of 
tlie last importance, as on them depends his eter- 
nal lot. 'Tis then that Satan uses his utmost 
eftbrts to accomplish the ruin of a soul. His 
snares and batteries are more subtle and violent 



232 Preparation for Death. 

at the extremity, than at any other period of 
life, for it is then, as the Apostle says, (Rev. xii.) 

he Cometh down, having great wrath, know- 
ing that he hath but a short time." Hence it 
becomes the indispensable duty of every soldier 
of Jesus Christ, frequently to exercise himself 
in acts of faith^ hope, charity, contidence, 
fortitude, and perseverance, that by the 
familiar use of these spiritual w^eapons during 
life, he may be enabled to encounter the mortal 
enemy of his soul in his last conflict, and defeat 
all his malicious designs. 

When the disorder of a sick person has the 
appearance ofdanger, every spiritual help should 
be offered him before he loses the use of his 
senses ; for which reason it would be very 
unfriendly to flatter him with the hopes of 
recovery, or to be negligent in exhorting him 
to make the best use of the little time which 
perhaps he has to live, in preparing for his 
voyage to eternity; and since a truly penitential 
spirit is the best security to a Christian in life 
or death, he ought to be urged to secure it to 
himself by the most perfect acts of compunction, 
resignation, faith, hope, and divine love. For 
this purpose he should keep himself as much 
as possible in the divine presence, and in Uie 
blessed company of Jesus Christ, the perfect 
model of suffering Christians. He should con- 
verse fr'equently with him ; cast himself in spirit 
at his feet, like Magdalene ; bewail his sins Ixi 
the bitterness of his soul ; and cry out for mercy 
while there is yet time for mercy. He shordd 
.place a crucifix or picture of his crucified 



Preparation for Death, 933 

• Redeemer before his eyes ; think often upon his 
passion, his agony in the garden and on the 
cross ; consider him nailed and fastened on that 
bed of sorrow, without moving either hand or 
foot, or having any other pillow to support his 
head but a crown of thorns. He should fly 
to his bleeding wounds, there to bathe his soul, 
and find a cure for all his disorders. He should 
be excited, by these considerations, to make a 
voluntary sacrifice of himself to the Divine 
Will ; bear all his pains with patience ; accept 
of death as the just punishment due to his sins ; 
and offer it up, in union wuth the death of Jesus 
Christ, that being united thereto, it may become 
precious in the sight of the Lord. He should 
frequently raise his thoughts above this world, 
and fix them on heaven, making it the object 
of his contemplation, and the centre of all his 
desires. He should consider what a happy 
thing it is to see and enjoy God eternally ; and 
that the longer he remains here below, the more 
he lies exposed to the danger of offending him. 
Far, therefore, from being disturbed at the 
thoughts of quitting a wicked, treacherous, and 
deceitful world, he should rather endeavour to 
enter into the sentiments of St. Paul, who 
: " longed to be dissolved, and to be with Jesus 
I Christ." Instead of being sorry or unwilling 
I to be disengaged from a frail body, subject to a 
thousand infirmities, he should rather, like 
King David, thirst after the happy hour that is 
to put him in possession of that eternal kingdom 
of glory, for the enjoyment of which he was 
created. 



234 Prcparatio7% for Death. 



In efTsct, if die seafaring man lonjrs for Ins 
arrival in the port of his destination ; if the 
liiary man wishes for the end of the campaign^ 
and longs for the day that is to restore him to his 
friends, crowned with laurels, and enriched with 
spoils and trophies ; if the wearied traveUer pants 
after his native soil, and wishes for the end of 
, J his journey; if the captive longs to be freed from 
his chains; if the farmer^ after the toils and 
' fatigues of the winter, rejoices at the bright pros- 
pect of theapproachingharvest ;— why should not 
a Christian long for the end of the laborious win- 
ter of this life, in order to reap the sweet fruits 
of his past labours; why should he not becharm- 
ed with the well grounded hope o£ entering into 
the joys of his Lord, and finding the gates of 
heaven open to receive his soul; why should he 
not wish to be rescued out of the stormy sea of 
this world, and arrive safely in the harbour of 
eternal life ; why should he not long for the end 
of the spiritual warfare wherein he is constantly 
engaged, in order to receive that never-fading 
crown of glory vv^hich is reserved in the kingdom 
of heaven for such as conquer; why should lie not 
welcome the happy hour of Iffs death, which is 
to restore him to his native country, fix him in 
his proper habitation, secure him from the em- 
barrassments and snares of this mortal life, and 
translate him to the glorious society of the holy 
apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and an in- 
numerable host of heavenly citizens, who await 
for him, and long to congratulate his happy ar- 
rival? Who amongst us," says St. Cyprian, 

who liad for a long time been a sojourner in a 



Preparation for Death* 



235 



foreign country, would not anxiously desire 
to return to his native soil ? What person would 
not wish for a prosperous gale of wind to waft 
him with expedition to his favourite home, that 
he might the sooner embrace his friends and rela- 
tions ? Heaven is our native country : here we 
are but strangere^ captives, and pilgrims. Here 
w^e have no permanent city ; but there we shall 
be at home in our Father's house. Here we are 
exiles and travellers, hastening to the end of our 
journey. This world is a tempestuous ocean, full 
of rocks and quicksands, wherein we are con- 
stantly tossed to and fro by storms and hurri- 
canes, tortured between hopes and fears, and 
every moment exposed to the danger of being 
shipvvrecked. O how happy are they," con- 
tinues St. Cyprian, " who after being delivered 
from these storms and hurricanes, have happily 
arrived at the haven of everlasting bliss ! How 
happy are they who are removed from the 
clangers of sin, and freed from the assaults of 
the Devil, and the conflict of their passions ! 
How happy are tliey who are withdrawn from 
the miseries of this perishable life, and have put 
on a trlorious immortality ! Who would not 
. rejoice to obtain everlasting rest, out of the reach 
': of danger? Who would not cheerfully quit 
] this sinful Babylon, to spend an eternity in the 
presence of God, and live for ever vrlth Jesus 
Christ, in the company of millions of saints 
and angels ? O blessed be that Divine Provi- 
i dence, that infinite goodness, which has provi- 
I ded a better w^orld to receive us, and there 
' promises us eternal life!" Hence hath St.Teresa 



S36 Preparatio?i for Death. 

exclaimed, O Death, I know not who can 
fear thee, since it is by thee that we find hfe." 

Too great a love of life betrays a want of that 
lively faith and confidence which, by fortifying 
the mind of a Christian, enables him to stare 
death in the face, and despise that king of 
terrors. It is now more incumbent on us than 
ever to comply with the obligation we lie under^ 
of suppressing inordinate self-love in our hearts, 
and to do not our own, but the will of our hea- 
venly Father ; for how inconsistent would it be 
to desire, that his willmaj/ be doneon earthy as it 
is in heaven^ if, upon summoning us to quit this 
world, we are reluctant, and unwilling to obey 
his call ? With what propriety can we say, thy 
^kingdom come^ whilst we evidently betray a de 
sire of remaining^ here in a state of bondaofe to 
our passions and subjection to the d evil, rather 
than accept the invitation to go and live with 
Jesus Christ, in the kingdom which he has pur- 
chased for us at the expense of his sacred blood ? 
To die well or ill, is all that should give us trou- 
ble. We know for certain that death is the only 
way to eternal happiness ; that the cross is the 
ladder by which we should ascend to heaven ; 
and that through many sufferings and tribula- 
tions we must endeavour to enter into it. Christ 
himself died before he entered into his glory. 
We cannot arrive at heaven by any other road. 
It is the only gate to life everlasting. It is a 
passage from a valley of tears to a region of 
unspeakable bliss. It is a deliverance from a 
continual warfare, in which we are surrounded 
with a thousand dangers of perishing. It is a 



Ij Jrreparalto7i jot JJeatlu ^37 

|j happy exemption from the temptations of the 
I Devil, the world^ and the flesh, which are our 
capital enemies. Animated, therefore, with a 
f bright prospect of eternal happiness at our de- ' 
1 parture, Ave should consider the pangs of death 
as nothing else but the breakincr down of that 
partition which stands betwixt the soul and the 
L i^ight.of its sovereign good. 

' " The body is a tottering edifice, which must 
necessarily fall, that the soul maybe at rest. It 
is like the scaffolding which architects make 
use of to erect a palace ; but which they take 
away after the building is finished." Clement 
XI y. — Picture of Man. 

SHORT ACTS OF VIRTUE, 

Which may be leisurely and distinctly suggested to sick 
persons in time of danger; yet so as not to fatigue them 
with too much reading. 

0 MY God, I firmly believe whatever thy 
holy Catholic Church believes and teaches, 
and with the assistance of thy divine grace, I 
will die in this belief. Increase, O Lead, and 
strengthen my faith. 

In thee, O Lord, 1 place my whole confi- 
dence, 1 hope to possess eternal life through 
thy infinite mercy and the merits of my Sa- 
viour Christ Jesus. O let me not be confounded 
for ever. My God ! I love thee with my whole 
heart and soul above all things, because thou 
art infinitely good and worthy of all love. 

1 love my neighbour, nay, and even my 
enemies, for the love of thee. O my God, % 



238 Preparaiioji for Death. 

grieves me to the soul for having so ill served 
so oood a master. O that my heart could 
break asunder widi sorrow for having offended 
th.ee by the sins of my past life. O that 1 had 
never offended so good a God! O unhappy 
day that 1 neglected to love thee ! Too laie, 
too late have I began to love thee ! I confess 
mine iniquities are many and grievous^ but 
they cannot lessen my confidence in thy 
mercieSj which are infinitely greater than my 
sins, 

1 most humbly ask pardon for them. I 
detest them because they displease thee. O 
God, be merciful to jne a sinner. O grant me 
a true and sincere contrition, and let not the 
enemy of mjy soul have any power over me, 
either now or at my last hour. 

Pardon me, O Jesus. Hear me, O Jesus. 
, Save me, O Jesus. 1 renounce from this mo- 
ment, and for all eternity, the Devil and all 
his works. I abhor all his suggestions and 
temptations. 1 will by no means give ad- 
mittance or consent to them. 

Grant me, O Lord, the most precious gift of 
final perseverance, that whenever my hour 
comes, I may die in thy grace. I beg pardon 
of all those v;hom I have any ways offended^ 
and 1 sincerely forgive all those who iiave any 
way offended or injured me, or who wish me 
any kind of evil whatsoever. 

I recommend my soul to God my Creator, 
who made me out of nothing ; to Jesns Christ 
my Saviour, who redeemed nie with his blood ; 
to the Holy Ghost^ who sanctified me in the 
water of baptism. 



Preparation for Death. 239 

Praise, honour, and glory be to ihy name for 
-ever, O my God, for all the graces and benefits 
which I have received from thy bounty during 
the whole course of my hfe, 

r>Iay thy providence be ever blessed and 
praised, for all the sufferings 1 have endured: 
O, receive them in satisfaction for my sins. I 
offer up to thee, O my crucified Redeemer, all 
that 1 now suffer, or may have yet to sufter, 
to be united to, and to be sanctified by thy 
passion. 

i am content to suffer here, in hopes that 
my momentary pains and sufferings v.ill be 
soon changed into an eternity of happiness and 
comfort. 

Let the flesh suffer and perish, so that the 
spirit may be safe. Scourge and afflict my 
body, but spare mv soul for ail eternity. Here 
wound me, here burn me, here cut me asunder; 
but spare me at my hist hour. 

My whole confidence, either of living or 
dying well, is grounded on tlie infinite merits of 
my Redeemer's death and passion^ and the 
blood lie hath shed for my sins. 

Receive, O eternal Father, his precious 
merits, in full satisfaction for all my offences, 
O h^t me never be sepai'^ted from thee. 

Wound my heart with thy love, that it may 
relish nothing that is earthly. Take off my 
tliougtits from this m.ortal life, that all my 
comfort may be placed in thee alone. 

Dis[X)se of my soul, that it may be prepared 
at thy call to go forth to meet thee; and be- 
come thy habitation for ever. 



240 Preparation for Death. 

To thee I resign my heart and bequeath my 
soul. O do not cast me off amongst the repro- 
bate, but make me fit to appear in thy sight. 

0 happy hour! when shall 1 behold thee? 
O sweet Jesus ! when shall 1 appear before thy 
face ? When shall I be disengaged from this 
earthly habitation, that 1 may come to the en- 
joyment of thee } When shall I be released 
from this prison, this miserable Babylon, this 
place of banishment, that I may bless thy 
namie, and join with thy angels and saints in 
thy everlasting praise ? 

When shall 1 lay down this cumbrous weight 
of flesh, and be delivered from this body of 
death, wliich I have loved too well ? 

Thou hast in thy justice decreed that I 
should die, I most humbly submit to the sen- 
tence, and readily accept it in the spirit of 
penance, in order to honour thee by the sacri- 
fice of my life, and to give a proof of my obe- 
dience to thy orders. 

1 am content to die for thy glory, and to 
testify that i.love thee better than myseh"^. 

1 am* content to die, that I may no longer 
ofiend thee, but that I may love thee, possess 
thee, praise thee, bless thee, and glorify thee 
forever in Heaven. 1 am content to die, to 
expiate by my death and suffering, all the 
sins which I have committed since I came 
into the world. 

I am ready and willing to be deprived of every 
thing 1 have loved upon earth. 1 renounce 
all the vanities of the w^orld, and now willinnly 
bid fkrcwel! to this vale of tears and miseries. 



Preparalionfor Death. 24 [ 

Heaven is my happier home Paradise is 
much more pleasant and agreeable, ahJ death 
is the path tliat leads to it. 

O happy news of ray departure ! I hope I 
shall soon hear the choirs of angels sing forth 
the immortal praise of my God, To dwell one 
day in this holy palace, in the comimny of ilie 
blessed, is better than to be a thousand yeais 
in the tabernacles of sinners, 

JLet slow death then hasten on, that dying I 
may be no longer exposed to the dangerous 
occasions of sin, but that I may see and enjoy 
thee, my God, in paradise, and love thee eter- 
nally in the regions of bliss and innnorlality. 

O heavenly Jerusalem ! O beautiful city of 
God, my happy home! When shall I arrive 
in tliy sacred tabernacles ? 

Take courage, my soul. The hour ap- 
proacheth. Eternity comes on. Thy miseries 
and sorrows will soon have an end. 

Thou art going to the nuptials of the Lamb. 
Thou art going to the land of the living. — 
Thou art going to a kingdom where the God 
I of all glory displays his grandeur with the 
j greatest magnificence. 

1 O welcome the approaching hour of death, 
I which is to remove thee to a better life, and to 
j translate thee from misery to felicity, from death 
to humortality. 

^ Jesus Christ was crucified and died for thee. 
E-e ready tlien to die for him^ that thou mayest 
enjoy him in the kingdom of heaven, Vv-hich 
iihe has promised to those who put their trust 
land contidence m him. [//crc the asui^sUiuli^ 



Si2 Preparation for Death. 

mat/ shew a crucifix to the sick perso7i,^ Con- 
template him expiring on the painful bed of the 
cross, without any other pillow to support his 
head but a crown of thorns. Behold his merci- 
ful arms extended to embrace thee. See his 
sacred side laid open to grant thee admittance 
to his heart. See his blessed head laid down to 
give the kiss of peace* See at how dear a rate 
he has purchased thy salvation. See what he 
suffered for thy sake. Embrace him with the 
most tender alFection, and with a firm confi- 
dence that thou wilt soon see him in heaven, 
whom thou now beholdest fastened on a cross. 
YeSj my divine Redeemer, 1 embrace thee with 
all the affections of my soul. I depend on thy 
merits, and take shelter in thy bleeding wounds. 
1 trust thou wilt not suffer me to be for ever 
miserable, because thou art infinitely good and 
merciful. — ^Since 1 have thy blood to plead in 
my behalf, why should 1 fear? Why should I 
tremble at the thoughts of death, when 1 con- 
sider that thou hast satisfied for my sins, paid 
my debts, and laid dovv-n thy life for my salva- 
tion ? 

I am not afraid of hell, though I have de- 
served it; because my dear Jesus has pur- 
chased heaven for me. 

I hope in his mercy ; and all the artifices of^ 
the infernal spirits shall never induce me tpj 
relinquish my hope. 

]n spite of them all, I will sing eternal praises 
to thee, O blessed Trinity — Father, Son, and 
'Holy Ghost ; I will adore thy mercies, and 
wiil possess and love thee for ever. i 



Preparation fbr Death. 243 

I will now say what, perhaps, I shall not be 
able to say at my dying Tnoments — O Father 
of mercies, and God ot all consolation, into thy 
most merciful hands 1 recommend my soul, 
both for, time and eternity." 

Now instead of then, when perhaps I may 
be deprived of the use of speech and reason, I 
offer thee, O Lord, my heart, my life, my 
agony, my pains, my anguish, my distress, and 
my death, to be united to the bloody sweat and 
agony of my d^ar Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Now, as well as at the time of ray departure, 
I renounce Satan, and declare my abhorrence 
of whatever evil thoughts he shall then suggest 
to me. 

O God of my heart, ray portion, and my 
inheritance for ever ! I desire to love thee, as tha 
anorels of heaven love thee. O how raod hast 

o o 

thou been to me, and how ungrateful have I 
been to thee ? 1 grieve from the bottom of my 
heart that I ever offended thee, who art infinitely 
amiable. Forgive me, dear Jesus ! forgive me, 
O Father of mercies ! 

Q my God and my all 1 my soul doth thirst 
after thee. When shall I come and appear be- 
fore thee, O thou fountain of mercy! O who 
will deliver me from this body of death ! 1 desirS 
to be dissolved, and to be with Christ ; for 
Christ is my life ; and to die will be my gain. 

How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord God 
of Hosts ! 1 love the beauty of thy house, and 
the place of thy glorious abode. The eye 
hath not seen, the ear hath not heard, nor hath 
i.t entered into the heart of man to conceive, 

O 3 



241 PreparaliOi for Death. 

what excellent tliintys God hath prepared for 
1 1 1 o.-e \v li o 1 o ve h i n) . " 

\¥hat have I more to do with the world ? — 
And in heaven^ what can 1 desire but thee 
only, O Lord? Now dost thou send away thy 
servant in peace. 

1 am weary of this Ufe. I willingly take my 
leave of this v;arld and of all terrestrial objects. 

Nothing, O good Jesus ! nothing more shall 
ever separate me from thee. 

O holy Mary, mother of Gody who didst 
assist at the death of thy beloved Son Jesus, 
obtain for me the grace of an happy death. — 
Glorious St. Michael, prince of the heavenly 
host, intercede for me at the hour of my death, 
that I may depart this world in the grace and 
favour of my Creator. 

O holy Angel Guardian, to whose care God 
in his mercy has comm/itted me, stand by me 
at the dreadful hour ; protect me against all the 
powers of darkness ; defend me from all my 
enemies ; and conduct my soul to the mansions 
of eternal repose. 

O all ye blessed angels and saints of God, 
assist me, by your intercession, in this last and 
dreadful passage. 

O JLamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, be thou then to me a powerful 
redeemer and advocate w^ith the Father. 

L*et those hands, which were nailed to the 
cross, plead in my behall^ and open to me the 
gates of heaven. 

Be thou a Jesus to me, and save my soul at 
that awful period. Hide me in thy wounds, 
and orotect me under the shadow of tliv winofs. 



Preparation for IXeath* 215 

O good Shepherd of souls ! do not forsake 
ine, but conduct my soul into eternal rest. 

Suffer thy passion and death to stand betwixt 
my soul and thy justice ; and let those comfort- 
able words sound then in my ears, " This day 

shale thou be with me in paradise." 

O sweet Comforter of desolate and distressed 
soulsj let me then experience the multitude of 
thy tender mercies, when my soul shall be in 
conflict with the pangs of death. 

Be mindful of thy poor creature, w^hom thou 
hast redeemed with thy precious blood. 

Remember thou hast bought my soul at a 
dear rate. O let not thy precious blood be lost 
on me, or spilt in vain. 

0 let not my soul perish^ which cost thee so 
great a price. 

Thou hast promised that whosoever shall in- 
voke thy name with faith and confidence, shall 
be saved ; 1 invoke thy sacred name, O Jesus, 
with my whole heart, and with all possible 
respect and devotion ; do not then suffer me to 
be lost for ever. 

Help me, O God my Saviour : and for the 
glory of thy blessed name deliver me. Look 
with an eye of pity on this poor piece of clay^ 
and succour me in my distress. 

1 beseech thee, by thy siifierings on the cross, 
especially at that hour when thy blessed soul 
left thy sacred body, liave mercy on my soul at 
the time of its departure from mine. 

Call Rfe to thyself, and receive me into tlie 
number of tliine elect, that I may praise thes 
without end, 

O s 



246 Preparation for Death. 

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy 
on me. 

Give me thy blessing, O most loving Jesus. 
Lord Jesus, receive my soul. 

Receive me, good Jesus, in thy mercy! re- 
ceive my soul in peace. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and 
to the Holy Ghost, &c. 

Post Hominem Vermis; post Vermem foetor 
& horror : 

Sic in non hominem vertitur omnis homo. 

A devout Prayer of St. Augustine on the suf 
, ferings of Christ. 

O GOD! who for the redemption of the 
world didst vouchsafe to be born- — to be cir- 
cumcised — to be rejected by the Jews — to be be- 
trayed with a kiss — to be bound likea malefactor, 
and like an innocent Iamb to be led to slaughter 
—to be ignominiously brought before Annas, 
C^iiaphas, Pilate, and Herod — to be accused by 
false witnesses — scourged with whips — buffeted 
— defiled with spittle— crowned with thorns- 
stripped of thy clothes — fastened to the cross, 
placed between two thieves: — to have vinegar 
and gall given thee to drink — to have thy side 
pierced through with a spear ! — Thou, O Lord, 
by these most grievous pains, which 1, though 
unworthy, do commemorate, and by thy most 
sacred passion and death, free me from the pains 
of hell, and conduct me whither thy mercy did 
conduct the good thief crucified with thee ; who 
together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
livest and reignest for ever. Amen. 



Preparatio7i for Death. 247 



A Prayer of St. Jerome in time of Agony. 

MERCIFUL Jesus, thoa art my strength, 
my refuge, and my deliverer ; in thee I have be- 
lieved and hoped ; in thee have 1 loved. Call 
me now, 1 beseech thee, and I will answer. 
Stretch forth thy hand of mercy to the work of 
thy hands, and let me not perish, whom thou 
hast redeemed with thy precious blood. 

It' is now time for dust to return to dust, and 
my spirit to thee who gavest it : Open then, 
Lord, the gate of life, and receive me ; receive 
me, most merciful Lord, according to the mul- 
titude of thy tender mercies, who receivedst the 
thief on the cross, and now prepare my soul for 
hearing the same promise of mercy which he did. 
I am sick, O Lord, and my life is withering 
away; therefore I come to thee, my physician. 
Heal me then, mv God, and I shall be healed : 
let me not be confounded : because I put my 
trust in thee. In thee have 1 hoped ; let me not 
be cast off for ever. 

But what am I, mostmercifal Lord, that I 
should speak thus boldly to thee ? — A am a sin- 
ner, grown up in sin, a rotten carcase, a vessel 
of corruption, and food of worms. But spare 
me still, my God; for what victory is there in 
overthrowing me, who am but as dust before 
the wind ? Forgive me all my sins, and deliver 
me from my distress. 

Arise and help me, Lord ; arise and let thy 
mercy plead for me. Let my prayer ascend be- 
fore thee, and stretch forth thy hand to help^ 
me : ibr behold I am cavered with sin. and 



248 Preparation for Death. 

have done evil in thyisiglit; and there is none 
can heal me but thou, my God. If thou hadst 
not paid my ransom, by dy ingon the cross, should 
not 1 have been for ever miserable? Remem- 
ber then, O merciful Jesus, that 1 have a share 
in that price that was paid. It was for me also, 
thouf;h most unworthy, thy blood was shed; let 
me, therefore, have a part in this mercy. 

i confess 1 have many times offended against 
thee, and therefore am not worthy to be called 
thy child ; but turn away thy face, I beseech 
thee, from my sins, and blot out all my iniqui- 
ties. Deal not with me according to what 1 de- 
serve, nor chastise me according to my iniqui- 
ties; but help me, O God, my Saviour, and for 
the glory of thy name deliver me. — Now at this 
hour shew mercy to me, and whenever I depart, 
receive me into the number of thy family, tliat I 
may be one of those who are to praise thee for 
ever. 



Pra7/ers to he rec ited hrj the Assistants ivhen the 
JDyiin^ Person loses the use of speeeh. 

LOUD Jesus Christ ! we beseech thee, by thy 
bitter agony and prayer in the garden, that thou 
wouldt^t be pleased to be an advocate with lliy 
eternal Father, in behalf of this thy servant : lay 
before him (her) all those drops of blood which 
in ihy anguish of spirit flowed from thy body, 
and offer them for the remission of all his (her) 
sins ; that in this hour of extremity, he (she} 
may be discharged iVom that hand-Avriling of sin 



Prtparation for Death. 249 

which stands against him, (her^) and from that 
punishment which he (she) fears to be too justly 
due to his (her) sins. Our Father." " Hail, 
Mary.'' 

LORD Jesus Christ ! who for our salvation 
was pleased to suffer death on the cross, wx be- 
seech thee to otfer up all the anguish and pains 
thou didst th.en endure, and most especially at 
the hour of thy death, in behalf of this thy 
servant, that they may be accepted in his (her) 
favour, for the good of his (her) soul, for the 
obtaining of a happy hour, and for the release 
fi'om that punishment which he (she) has 
deserved for his (her) sins. ^' Our Father." 
" Hail Mary/' 

LORD J esus Christ ! who had such a bound- 
less love for man as induced thee to become man 
for our salvation, w^e beseech thee to let this thy 
infinite charity and goodness towards mankind 
so plead in behalf of this thy poor servant, that 
by thy powerful mediation, his (her) soul, at the 
! moment of its departure from the body, being 
fi^eed from the bonds of sin, may hnd a free ad- 
! mi ttance through the gates that leads to the man- 
! sions of eternal bliss. " Our Father." Hail^ 
Mary." 

j Lord Jesus Christ! who by thy precious blood 
' hast redeemed us, we beseech thee to imprint 
' deep in the soul of this thy servant the memory 
of thy most sacred wounds, that having them 
perpetually in his (her) sight, he (she) may be 
, encouraged to suffer \v\i\\ patience and resolu- 
I tion, and be armed against all the pangs of death. 
Thus let him (her) cheerfully submit to all the 



250 Preparation for Death. 

difficulties of his {her) condition, and begin, 
even here, to be united to thee with a love that 
shall never end. 

Grant him {her) now to partake of the fruit 
of thy holy incarnation, of thy bitter passion, 
of thy glorious resurrection, and admirable 
ascension. 

Gmnt that he {she) may be sensible of the 
effects of thy holy mysteries and sacraments, 
and of all the prayers which are offered by the 
whole Church. 

Remember, O Lord, that thou wast once in 
the straits of death; and in this extremity, 
after crying out to thy eternal Father, and 
commending thy spirit to him, didst expire. 
Behold now, this thy servant in his {her) 
anguish crying aloud to thee : stand thou by 
him, {her^) defend and comfort him {her) in 
this his {her) distress, and receive his {her) soul 
into thy merciful embraces. 

Remember, O Jesus, that thy arms were 
stretched forth, thy side opened, and thy sacred 
head bowed down from the cross : have regard 
now, v/e beseech thee, to the soul of this thy 
servant, which, departing out of this world, 
seeks refuge in tliee ; receive it into thy arms, 
clasp it to thy breast, and there let it hide itself, 
secured from the attacks of all its enemies, till 
the anger of God pass over. Into thy hands 
we commend his {her) spirit, which has been 
created and redeemed by thee ; despise not, we 
beseech thee, the work of thy hands. 

O CHRIST JESUS, who wast crucified 
for our redemption^ we beseech thee, by that 



Preparation for Death. 251 

love which brought thee from heaven, to have 
compassion on the soul of thy servant ; forgive 
him {her) all his {her) sins, and by the merits of 
thy bitter passion satisfy for all his {her) failings, 
and supply his {her) defects : lei him {her) now 
experience the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
and be sensible how good thou, O Lord, art. 
Dispose now his {her) soul by thy grace, that lie 
{she) may be prepared at thy call to go forth to 
meet thee his (/zerj heavenly bridegroom. Grant 
him, {her^) we beseech thee, true patience and 
perfect resignation in his {her) pains and 
anguish. Give him {her) full discharge from 
all his {her) sins ; confirm his {her) faith ; 
strengthen his {her) hope ; and perfect his {her) 
charity; that, departing hence, his (//er) soul 
may be received into thy mercy. O dear Re- 
deemer, by that distress which thou didst suffer 
on the cross, when thou criedst out to thy 
eternal Father, we pray thee to sh^w mercy to 
this thy servant, in his (Aer) extremity ; hear 
the sighs and desires of his {her) heart ; and 
since he {she) is now deprived of the faculty of 
speech, speak thou for him, {her^) we beseech 
thee, who art the eternal word, and to whom 
the Father will refuse nothing. 

By thy victory over death, and the infinite 
merits of thy passion, we beseech thee, on 
behalf of this thy servant, to have no other 
thoughts but of peace, of merc^, and comfort, 
and not of affliction. Bear him {her) up 
against all distrust and despair, deliver him 
{her) from his {her) necessities, and be his 
{her) comforter in his {her) distress. Let 



' 252 Recommendation of a Soul departing. 

those hands which were once nailed to the 
cross now plead for him^ (her^) and obtaining 
his (her) pardon, conduct him (her) into thy 
eternal rest. Amen, 



THE RECOMMENDATION OF A 
SOUL DEPARTING. 

I^ORD have mercy upon us. 
Christ have mercy upon us. 
Lord have mercy upon us. 
Holy Mary, 

All ye Angels and Archangels, 
Holy Abel, 

All the Choir of the Just, 
Holy Abraham, 
St. John Baptist, 
St. Joseph, 

AH ye Patriarchs and Prophets, 
St. Peter, 



St. Paul, 
St. Andrew, 



St. John, 

All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, 

All ye holy disciples of our Lord, 

All ye holy Innocents, 

St. Stephen, 

St. Laurence, 

All ye holy Martyrs, 

St. Sylvester, 

St. Gregory, 

St. Augustine, 

All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, 















r 













Recommendation of a Soul departing. 253 

St. Benedict, 
St. Francis, 

Atl ye holy Monks and liermitSj 
St. Mary Magdalene, 
St. Lucy, 

-All ye holy Virgins and Widows, 
All ye saints of God, make inlercession for 

him (her). 
Be merciful, spare him (her) O Lord. 
Be merciful, deliver him (her) O Lord, 
Be merciful, receive hira (her) O Lord. 
From thy anger, 
From the danger of death, 
From an ill end, 
From the pains of iiell. 
From all evil. 

From the power of the devil, 

Through thy nativity. 

Through thy cross and passion. 

Through thy death and burial, 

Through thyglorio: s resurrection, 

Through thy admirable ascension, 

Through the grace of the Holy (Jhost the 
Comforter, 

In the Day of Judgment, 

We sinners beseech thee to hear us. 
' That thou spare him (/zerj, we beseech thee to 
' hear us. 

^ Lord have mercy upon us. 
Christ have mercy upon us. 
Lord have mercy upon us. 

Let us Pra?/. 
I DEPART then, O christian soul, out of 
■ this miserable world, in the name of God ih^ 



?Z1 



254 Recommendation of a Soul departing. 

Father Almighty ; the Son of the living God, 
^vho suffered for thee ; in the name of the Holy 
Ghost, ^vho sanctified thee ; in the name of 
the Angelsj Archangels, Thrones, Domina- 
tions, Cherubim, and Seraphim ; in the name 
of the Patriarchs and Prophets, of the holy 
Apostles and Evangelists, of the holy Martyrs 
and Confessors, of the holy Monies and Hermits, 
of the holy Virgins, and of all the Saints of God 
— let thy place be this day in peace, and thy 
abode in holy Sion : through Christ our Lord. 
Amen, 

GOD of clemicncy, God of goodness ! O 
God, who, according to tlie multitude of thy 
iiffercies, forgivest the sins of such as repent, 
tind graciously remittest the guilt of their past 
offences, mercifully regard this thy servant (N), 
raid grant him (Aer) a full discharge from all his 
(Vzer) sins. v.ho most earnestly begs it of thee. 
Renew, O merciful Father, ^vhatever is corrupt 
in him {her) through human frailty, or by the 
snares of the enem.y ; make him (her) a true 
member of the Church, and let him {her) par- 
take of the fruit of thy redemption. Have 
compassion. O Lord, on his (her) sighs, have ; 
pity on his {lier) tears, and admit him (her) to ; 
the sacrament of thy reconcihation, who has no j 
hope but in thee : through Chriai our Lord, f 
Aine'fi. I 

1 Recommend thee, dear brother (sister)^ to » 
Almighty God, and commit thee to his mercy, 
Avhose creature thou art ; that having paid the 
common debt^ by surrendering thy soul, thou ; 
^ruiyest return to thy Maker, v-ho formed 
ilite out of the earth. May^ therefore^ the 



Recommendation of a Soul departing. 255 

noble company of Angels meet thy soul at its 
departure. May the court of the Apostles 
receive thee. May the triumphant army of 
glorious Martyrs conduct thee. May the 
crowds of joyful Confessors encompass thee. 
May the choir of blessed Virgins go before 
thee ; and may a happy rest be thy portion 
in the company of the Patriarchs. May Jesus 
Christ appear to thee with a mild and cheerful 
countenance, and give thee a place among those 
who are to be in his presence for ever. Pvlayest 
thou be a stmnger to all who are condemned 
to darkness, chastised with flames, or punished 
with torments. May God command thy wicked 
enemy, with all his evil spirits, to depart from 
thee. May the infernal spirits tremble at thy 
approach encompassed by Angels, and retire 
into the horrid confusion of eternal night. 
May thy God arise, and thy enemies be put to 
flight. May all who hate him fly before his 
face. Let them vanish like smoke, or as wax 
before the fire ; so let sinners perish in the sight 
of God. But as to the just, let them rejoice 
and be happy in his presence. May all the 
ministers of hell be filled with confusion and 
shame, and let no evil spirit dare lo stop thy 
course to Heaven. May Christ Jesus, who 
v/as crucified for thee, be thy deliverer. May 
he deliver thee from death, who for thy sake 
vouchsafecl to die. May Christ Jesus, the Son 
of the living God, place thee in his garden of 
paradise; and may he, the true shepherd, own 
thee for one of his flock. May he absolve thee 
from all thy sias. and place tiiee at his ri^-lit 
r 2 



256 Recommendation of a Soul departing. 

hand, in the inheritance of his elect. O may 
it be thy happy lot to behold thy Redeemer face 
to face ; to be ever in his presence, in the 
beatific vision of that eternal truth, which is the 
joy of the blessed. And, thus placed among 
those happy spirits, mayest thou be for ever 
filled with heavenly sweetness. Amen. 

RECEIVE thy servant, O Lord, into that 
place where he (she) may hope for salvation 
from thy mercy. — /?. Amen* 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant 
from all dangers of hell, and from all pain and 
tribulation. — i?. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deHveredst Enoch and Elias from the 
common death of the world. — /I. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deli veredst Noah in the flood. — R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deli veredst Abraham from the midst of 
the Chaldeans. — R. Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Job from all his afflictions. — 
R, Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Isaac from being sacrificed by 
his Father. — R, Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Lot from Sodom and the 
flames of fire. — R, Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Moses from the hancU of 
Pharaoh, king of Egypt. — R. Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Daniel Irom the lion's den. — 



Hecommendation of a Soul departing. Q57 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst the three children from the 
fiery furnace, and from the hands of that ua- 
merciful king. — 72. Ainen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Susannah from her false accu- 
sers. — R, Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst David from the hands of Saul 
and Goliah. — 72, Amen. 

Deliver, OLord, the soul of thy servant, as 
thou deliveredst Peter and Paul out of prison. 
— 72. Amen. 

And as thou deliveredst the blessed virgin 
and' martyr, St. Thecla, from most cruel tor- 
ments, vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this thy 
servant, and bring it to the participation of thy 
Leavenly joys. — 72. Amen. 

Let us Pray. 

WE commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of 
this thy servant ; and beseech ihee^ O Jesua 
Christ, Redeemer of the world, that as in thy 
mercy to him {her) thou becamest man, so now 
thou mayest vouchsafe to admit him (Aer) into 
the number of the blessed. Remember, OLord, 
that he {she) is thy creature, not made by 
strange gods, but by thee, the only true and 
living God ; for there is no other God but 
thee, and none can work thy wonders. Let 
his {her) soul find comfort in thy sight, and 
remember not his (lier) former sins, nor any of 
those excesses which he {she) has fallen into 
through the violence of passion and corruptioa« 
P s 



258 Recommendation of a Soul departing. 

For although he (she) hath sinned, yet he (she) 
has still retained a true faith in thee, Father, 
^on, and Holy Ghost ; he (she) has had a zeal 
for thy honour, and faithfully adored thee his 
(her) God, and the Creator of all things. 

Remember not, O Lord, the sins or igno- 
rance of his (her) youth, but according to thy 
great mercy be mindful of him (her) in thy 
eternal glory. Let the heavens be opened to 
him (her)^ and the angels rejoice withhim(//er). 
May St. Michael the archangel, the chief of the 
heavenly host, conduct him (Aer). May blessed 
Peter the apostle, to whom were given the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven, receive him (her}. 
May holy Paul, the apostle and chosen vessel 
of election, assist him (/ier). May St. John, 
the beloved disciple, to whom were revealed 
the secrets of heaven, intercede for him (her). 
May all thy holy apostles, to whom was givers 
the power of binding and loosening, pray for 
him (her). May all the chosen servants and 
martyrs of God, who in this world have suf- 
fered torments for the sake of Christ, intercede 
for him (her)^ that, being delivered from this 
body of corruption, he (she) may be admitted 
into the kingdom of heaven : through the assist- 
ance and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
liveth and reigneth with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen, 

^ Should the sick person still continue in 
distress of agony, it may be'proper for the assist- 
ants to continue on in prayer, saying Psalms 
xxi, cxviiia 



Reeommendation of a Soul departing, 259 



The Soul being now departed^ the following 
Jtesponsory is said, 

COME to his (her) assistance, all you saints 
of God : meet him (her)^ all you angels of God r 
receive his (her) soul, and present it now before 
its Lord. May Jssus Christ receive thee, and 
the angels conduct thee to thy place of rest t 
may they receive thy soul, and present it now. 
before its Lord. 

V, Eternal rest grant him. (her)^ O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light shine unto him. 
(her). 

May the Angels present him (her) now before 
the Lord. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 
Christ, ha'^ce mercy upon us. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 
Our Father, &c. 

V. And lead us not into temptation. 
R. But deliver us from evil, 
V. Eternal rest grant him (Aer), O Lord. 
R. And let perpetual hght shine unto him 
(her), 

V. From the gates of hell, 

R. Deliver his (her) soul, O Lord. 

V. May he (she) rest in peace. R. Amen* 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer ; 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Let us Pray. 

UNTO thee, Lord, we commend the soul of 
thy servant (N), that, being dead to this world, 
he (she) may live to thee ; and whatever sins he 
r4 



(she) has committed through human fraiUy, we 
beseech thee, in thy goodness, mercifully to par- 
don : thro' Christ our Lord. Amen. 

TheOj for a conclusion, may be added the fol- 
lowing prayer, which may be also said at the 
burial, for the assistants. 

GRANT, O Lord, that while weherelament 
the departure of thy servant, we may ever 
Temember that we are most certainly to follow 
liim (her). Give us grace to prepare for that 
last hour by a good life, that we may not be 
•surprised by a sudden death, but be ever 
Avatching when thou shalt call, that so with the 
spouse we may enter into eternal glory : 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 

A Prayer for all that are buried in a Church 
or Church-7/ard. 

O God, by whose mercy the souls of all the 
faithful find rest, grant to all thy servants, here 
or elsewhere, that have slept in Christ, the full 
remission of all their sins ; that being acquitted, 

well from the guilt as the temporal punish- 
ment due to them, they may be speedily ad- 
mitted into thy heavenly kingdom, and there 
rejoice with thee for all eternity : thro", &c« 
Amen. 

A Prayer for all the Faithful departed. 
Psalm cxxix. 

OUT of the depths I have cried to thee, O 
Lord ; Lord, hear my voice. 

Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my 
supplication. 



A Prayer iipoTi Recoveri/ from Sickness. 261 

If thou, O Lordj wilt observe iniquities^ 
Lord, who shall stand it ? 

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness; 
and by reason of thy law I have waited for thee, 
O Lord. 

My soul hath relied on his word ; my soul 
hath hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning watch even until nighty 
let Israel hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord there ia mercy, and 
with him plentiful redemption. 

And he shall redeem Israel from all its 
iniquities. 

V. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord, 

JR. And let perpetual light shine upon them. 

F. May they rest in peace. R, Amen, 

Let us Pray, 

O GOD, the Creator and Redeemer of all 
the faithful, grant to the souls of thy servants 
departed the remission of all their sins; that 
through pious supplications they may obtain 
that pardon which they have always desired ; 
who livest and reignest w^ith the Father, in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world 
without end. Amen. 

It is a holy a7id wholesome thought to pray 
for the dead^ that they may he loosed from sins. 
2 Mace. xii. 46. 

A Prayer of Thanksgiving upon the Recoveiy 
of a Perso72 froiii ihe Bed of Sickness. 

' ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, I here 
acknowledge thy blessing in the recovery of my 
iieahh, and return thee my most hearty thanks 



262 A Prayer for things riecessary to Salvation. 

for it. I beg thy grace for the making a better 
use of it than hitlierto 1 have done ; that I 
may correct all the errors of my past hfe^ that 
I may improve in virtue, be an example to 
others, and sanctify that heahh to thee which is 
now thy special gift ; that thus living to thee^ 
I may be ever prepared for my last hour: 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul; may he be 
praised and glorified for ever. 

Bless the Lord^ O my soul, and forget not 
all his benefits. 

Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers : let 
praise and glory be given to him for ever. 

1 will praise thee, O my God, while I live; 
I will glorify thy holy name while I have my 
being. 

0 magnify the Lord with me, all ye holy 
angels : praise him, all ye saints. 

1 will bless the Lord at all times : his praise 
shall be ever in my mouth. 

Give glory to the Lord, for be is good, for 
his mercy endureth for ever. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord, from 
henceforth, now, and for ever. 

From the rising of the sun unto the going 
down of the same, the name of the Lord is 
worthy of praise. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
An Universal Prayer for all Things necessary 
to Salvation. 

O MY God, 1 believe in diee ; do thou 
strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in thee ; 
do thou secure them, I love thee with my 



A Prater for things necessar?/ to Sakation, 263 

whole heart; teach me to love tiiee daily more 
and more. I am sorry that I have oifended 
thee ; do thou increase my sorrov^/. 

I adore thee as my nrst beginning. I aspire 
after thee as my last end. 1 give thee thanks- 
as my constant benefactor. 1 call upon thee 
as my sovereign protector, 

Vouclisafe, O m.y God, to conduct me by 
thy wisdom, to restrain me by thy justice, to 
comfort me by thy mercy, to defend me by thy 
power. 

To thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, 
words, actions, and sufferings ; that hencefbr- 
w^ard I may think of thee, speak of tliee, willing- 
ly refer all my actions to thy greater glory, and 
suffer willingly whatever thou shalt appoint. 

Lord, I desire that in all things thy will may 
be done, because it is thy will, and in the manner 
thou wiliest. 

I beg of thee to enliohten my iinderstandino-, 
to inllame my will, to purify my body, and to 
sanctify my soul. 

Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my 
offences, to overcome my temptations, to sub- 
due my passions, and to acquire the virtues 
proper for my state. 

Fill my heart with a tender affection for tliy 
goodness, a hatred for my faults, a love for my 
neighbour, and a contem.pt for the world. 

Let me always remember to be submissive to 
my superiors, condescendino- to my inferiors, 
faithful to my friends^ and charitable to my 
enemies. 



264- A Prayer for a Pregnant Woinnn. 

Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortifi- 
cation, avarice by alms-deeds, anger by meek- 
ness, and tepidity by devotion. 

O my God, make me prudent in my under- 
takings, courageous in dangers, patient in afflic- 
tions, and humble in prosperity. 

Grant that 1 may ever be attentive at my 
prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent in my 
employments, and constant in my resolutions. 

Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, 
ray exterior modest, my conversation edifying, 
and my comportment regular. 

Assist me, that 1 may continually labour to 
overcome nature, to correspond with thy grace, 
to keep thy commandments^ and to work out 
my salvation. 

Discover to me, O my God, the nothini^ness 
of this world, the greatness of heaven, the short- 
aiess of time, and the length of eternity. 

Grant that I may prepare for death ; that I 
may fear thy judgments ; that 1 may escape 
hell ; and in the end obtain heaven, through 
the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

A daily Prayer for a Pregnant TVoman, 

O LORD God Almighty, Creator of heaven 
and earth, who hath made us out of nothing, 
and redeemed us by the precious blood of thine 
only Son, look down upon thy poor handmaid 
liere prostrate before thee, humbly imploring 
thy mercy, and begging thy blessing for herself 
and her child, which thou hast given her to 
conceive. Preserve, I beseech thee, the work 
of ihj hands, and defeiid both me and the tender 



A Prayer for a Pregnant Woman, 255 

fruit of my womb from all perils and evils : 
grant me, in due time, a bappy delivery, and 
bring my child safe to the font of baptism, that 
it may be there happily dedicated to thee, to 
love and serve thee for ever. But, O my God, 
I have too much reason to fear lest my great 
and manifold sins should hinder thee from 
hearing my prayers, and draw down thy judg- 
ments upon me and mine, instead of thy mercies 
which I sue for ; and therefore I am sensible 
the first thing 1 ought to do is^ to repent from 
the bottom of my heart for all my offences, 
humbly confess them, and continually cry to 
thee for mercy. I detest then all my sins with 
my whole heart, and desire to lay them all down 
here at thy feet, to be effaced and destroyed for 
ever. 1 renounce and abhor them with my 
whole soul, because they are infinitely odious 
to thee, and wishing that I could expiate theiu 
with tears of blood. 1 humbly beg thy pardon 
for them, and am sorry from the bottom of my 
heart, that 1 ever committed them. I here offer 
3iiyself to make what satisfaction I am able for 
them, and most wiUingly accept of whatever 
pains I may suffer in child-bearing, and offer 
them up to thee now before- hand for my sins, 
firmly resolving by thy grace never wilfully to 
offend thee more. Behold here my poor heait, 

0 JLord, and if it be not such as 1 here express, 

1 desire at least it should be such; I desire it 
should be that contrite and humble heart which 
thou dost never despise ; in this disposition of 
soul, and with a lively confidence in thy 
mercies, and in tlie merits of the death and 



266 A Prayer before Sermon^ S^^c. 

passion of Jesus Christ thy Son, I renew the 
petition I made before, and once more 1 beg of 
thee, for myself, thy grace, protection, and a 
happy deUvery ; and for my child, that thou 
wouldst be pleased to preserve it for baptism, 
sanctify it for thyself, and make it thine for 
ever : through the same Jesus Christ thy Son^ 
our Lord. Amen. 

A Prayer before Sermon^ Spiritual Reading, Sfc. 

O Incomprehensible Creator, true 
fountain of light, and only author of all know- 
ledge, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to enlighten 
our understandings with the rays of thy wis- 
dom, and to chase away from our minds all 
darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou who 
makest eloquent the tongues of those that want 
utterance, and pour on our lips, and ijito our 
heartSj the grace of thy blessing, give us a 
diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of ap- 
prehension, capacity of retaining, and the con- 
tinual assistance of thy holy grace, that we may 
apply whatever we hear, read, or meditate upon, 
to thy honour, and the eternal salvation of our 
own souls : — through, &c. Amen, 

DOMimCA^^^VESPERAS. 

V. DEUS, in adjatorium meum intende. 
Domine, ad adjuvandum mefestina. 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. 
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, in 

saecula saeculorum. Amen. Alleluia. 
Or. Laus tibi, Domine, Rex ^ternse glorise. 
Ant. Dixit Domiuus, 
Ant, Alleluia. 



Ad Vesperas. 267 
Psalm cix, 

DIXIT Domiiius Domino meo, * sede a 
dextris meis. 

Donee ponam inimicos tuos : * scabellum 
pedum tuorum, 

Virgam vinutis tuae emittet Dominus ex 
Sion : * Dominare in medio inimicorumtuorum. 

Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in 
splendoribus sanctorum : * ex utero ante liicife- 
rum genui te. 

Juravit Dominus^ & non pcenitebit eum : ^ 
Tu es sacerdos in seternum^ secundum ordi- 
nem Melchisedech, 

Dominus a dextris tuis^ * confregit in die 
irse sute reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas : ^ 
conquassabit capita in terra multorum. 

De torrente in via bibet : ^ propterea exalta- 
bit caput. 

Gloria Patri, &c* 

Ant. Dixit Dominus Domino meo^ sede a 
dextris meis. 
Ant. Fidelia, 

Psalm ex. 

CONFITEBOR tibi, Domlne, in totoeorde 
meo : * in concilio justorum, & congregatione : 

Magna opera Domini : ^ exquisita in omnes 
Yoluntates ejus. 

Confessio & magnificentia opus ejus : ^ et 
justitia ejus manet in soeculum sseculi. 

Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, mise- 
ricors & miserator Dominus; * escam dedit 
timeutibus se. 



268 Ad Vesper as. 

Memor erlt in saeculum testamenti sui : * vir- 
tutem operura suorum annuntiabit populosuo. 

Ut det illis haereditatem gentium : opera 
manuum ejus Veritas & judicium. 

Fidelia omnia mandata ejus, confirmata in 
saiculum sseculi : * facta in veritate & equitate. 

Redemptionem misit populo suo : * manda- 
vit in seternum testamentum suum. 

Sanctum & terribile nomen ejus : * initium 
sapientise timer Domini. 

Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum : * 
laudatio ejus manet in seeculum saeculi. 

Ant. Fidelia omnia mandata ejus^ confir- 
mata in saeculum sseculi. 

Ant, In mandatis. 

Psalm cxi. 

BEATUS vir, qui timet Dominum : * in 
mandatis ejus volet nimis. 

Potens in terra erit semen ejus : * generatio 
rectorum benedicetur. 

Gloria & divitiae in domo ejus : * & justitia 
ejus manet in saeculum saeculi. 

Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis : * mise- 
ricors, et miserator, et justus. 

Jucundus homo qui miseretur et commo- 
dat ; disponet sermones suos in judicio : * quia 
in seternum non commovebitur. 

In memoria aeterna erit justus : * ab auditioue 
mala non timebit. 

Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino, confir- 
matum est cor ejus : * non commovebitur^ 
donee despiciat inimicos suos. 

Dispersit, dedit pauperibus : justitia ejus ma- 



Ad Vesperas. 269 

net in sseculum seeculi : ♦ cornu ejus exaltabitur 
in gloria. 

jPeccator videbit, & irascetur, dentibus suis 
fremet, & tabescet : * desiderium peccatorum 
peribit. 

Gloria Patri, &c. 

Ant. In mandatis ejus cupit nimia. 

Ant, Sit nomen Domini, 
Psalm cxii. 

LAUD ATE pueri Dominum: * laudate 
nomen Domini. 

Sit nomen Damini benedictum, * ex hoc 
nunc & usque in saeculum. 

A solis ortu usque ad occasum, * laudabile 
nomen Domini. 

Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus, * & 
j super coelos gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster, qui in altis 
habitat, ♦ & humilia respicit in coelo & in terra? 

Suscitans a terro inopem, * & de stercore 
erigens pauperem. 

Ut collocet eum cum principibus^ * cum 
i| principibus populi sui. 

Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo, * matrem 
liliorum isetantem. 

Gloria Patri, &c. 

Ant. Sit nomen Damini benedictum* 
Ant. Nos qui vivimus. 

Psalm cxvi. 
LAUDATE Dominum omnes gentes : 
* laudate eum omnes populi. 

Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericor- 
diaejus : * et Veritas Domini manet in aeternum. 
^ Gloria. Patri, &c. 

j Ant. Nos qui vivimus benedicimus Domino* 



270 Ad Vesperas. 

Tempore Paschalt. 
Ant. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. 
Capitulumy 2 Cor. 1. 

BENEDICTUS Deus, & Pater Domini 
nostri Jesu Cliristi, Pater misericordiarum, & 
Deus totius consolationis, qui consolatur nos 
in omni tribulatione nostra. 

jK. Deo gratiaa. i 

HYMNUS. 

LUCIS Creator optime, 
Lucem dierum proferens, 
Primordiis lucis novse, 
Mundi parans originem. 

Qui mane junctum vesperi. 
Diem vocari prsecipis, 
Illabitur tetrum chaos, 
Audi preces cum fletibus. 

Ne mens gravata crimine, 
Vitse sit exui munere, 
Dum nil perenne cogiiat, 
Seseque culpis illigat. 

Coeleste pulset ostium ; 
Vitale tollat premium ; 
Vitemus omne noxium ; 
Purgemus omne pessimum, 

Praesta, Pater Piissime, 
Patrique compar Unice, 
Cum Spiritu Paracleto, 
Regnans per omne sseculum. Amen. 

V. Dirigatur, Domine, oratio mea. 
M. SiciU incensum in conspectu tuo. 



Hymni. 271 

Canticum B, Marke Virginis, 
Luci^y i. 

MAGNIFICAT * anima mea Dominium : 
Et exultavit spiritus meus * in Deo salutari 
ineo. 

Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suse : ^ 
ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes 
generationes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est : * & 
sanctum nomen ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies 
* timentibus eum. 

Fecit potentiam in brachio buo ; * dispersit 
superbos mente cordis sui, 

Deposuit potentes de sede^ * & exaltavit 
humiles. 

Esurientes implevit bonis ; & divites dimisit 
inanes. 

Suscepit Israel puerum suum, * recordatus 
misericordiae suse. 

Sicutlocutus est ad Patresnostros, * Abraham 
& semini ejus in ssecula. Gloria Patri^ &c. 

On Corpus Christi Day, or at the Benediction of 
' the moit blessed Sacrament. 
PANGE lingua gloriosi 

Corporis mysteriuin, 
Sanguinisque pretiosi, 

Quern in mundi pretium 
Fru6trus ventris generosi, 

R^x effudit Gentium. 
Nobis datus, nobis natus 

Ex intacta Virgine, 
Et in mundo conversatus, 

Sparse verbi semine, 
Sui moras incolatus 

Miro clausit ordine. 



573 




In suprema nocte coen» 

Recunibens cum fratribus, 
Observata lege plene 
Cibis in legalibus, 
Cibum turbae duodenae 

Se dat suis manibus. - 
Verbum caro, pan em verum, 

V erbo carnem efficit ; 
Fitque sanguis Christi meruna, 

Et si sensus deficit, 
Ad firmandam cor sincerura 

Sola fides sufficit, 
Taotum ergo Sacramentum 

Veneremur ceraui, 
Et antiquum docuraentura 

Novo cedat ritui, ' 
Prffistet fides supplementum 

Sensuum defectui. 
Genitori, Genitoque, 

Laus & jubilaiio, 
Salus, honor, virtus quoque 

Sit et benedictio : 
Procedenti ab utroque 

Compar sit laudatio. Amen* 



Vers, Panem de coelo praBstitisti eis. Alleluia. 
Resp, Omne delectamentum in se habentera. Alleluia. 



Ad Magnificat Anliphona. 



fTX SACRUM convivium, in quo Christussumitur, 
recolitur memoria passionis ejus; mens impletur 
gratia; & futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur. Alleluia, 



DEUS, qui nobis sub Sacramento rairabilipassionis 
tuaB memoriam reliquisti ; tribue, quaesumu^, 
ita, nos corporis & sanguinus tui sacra mysteria 
venerari ; ut redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis 
jugiter sentiamus; Qui vivis & regnas, &c. 




Oremus, 



Hijmni. 273 
Hymmis^ 

O FILII & Filis, 
R^x ccelestis, Rex gloriaB, 

Mortesurrexithodie, Alleluia: 
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. 

El mane prima sabbati. 
Ad ostium monuinenii, 
Accesserunt discipuli, Alleluia, &c, 

Et Maria Magdalene, 
Et Jacobe & Salome, 
Venerunt corpus unguere, Alleluia, &c. 

In albis sedens Angelus, 
PrsBdixit mulieribus 

In Gallilaea est Dominus, Alleluia, &c, 

Et Joannes apostolus 
CucurritPetro citius, 
Monumento venit priup. Alleluia, Sec, 

Discipulis astantibus 
In medio stetit Christus, 
Dicens, Pax vobis omnibus, Alleluia, 6cc. 

Ut intellexerat Didymus, 
Quia surrexerat Jesus, 
Remansit fere dubius, Alleluia, See, 

Vide, Tboma, vide latus, 
Vide pedes, vide man us, 
Noli esse incredulus. Alleluia, &c. 

Qnando Thomas vidit Christum, 
Pedef?, manus, latus suum, 
Dixit, Tu es Deus meus, Alleluia, &c, 

Beati qui non viderunt 
El firmiter crediderunt, 
Vitam aeternam habebunt, Alleluia, &c. 

Id hoc festo sanctissimo, 
Sit laos & jubilatio, 
Benedicamus Domino, Alleluia, &c. 

Ex quibus non humillimas^ 
Devotas atque debitas, 
Deo dicamu.^ gratias, Alleluia. 

Allduia, Alleluia^ Alleluiri, 



274 



Adeste Fideles. 



The Prose ADESTE FIDELES ; mng from 
Christmas to the Octave of the Epiphany, 



YE faithful souls rejoice 
and sing ; 

To Bethlehem your tro- 
phies bring ; 

Before the new-born An- 
gels' King : 

Come let us him adore, 
Come, &c. 

True God of God, true 

Light of Light, 
Bora in womb of Virgin 

bright; 
Begot, not made — true 

God of might : 
Come let us him, adore, 

Come, &c. 
Angelic choirs, with joy 

now sing ; 
The heavenly courts with 

echoes ring ; 
Glory on high to God our 

King : 

Come let us him adore, 

Come, &c. 
Jesus whose life this day 

begun. 
The Father's co-eternal 

Son : 

Glory to him be ever 
sung: 

Come let us him adore, 
Come, &c. 



ADESTE fideles, 
Laeti triuniphantes ; 

Venite, venite in Beth- 
lehem : 
Natum videte 
Regem Angelorum : 

Venite adoremus, 

Venite adoremus Domi- 
num. 

Deum de Deo, 

Lumen de lumine. 
Gestant puells viscera: 
Deum verum, 
Genitum non -factum, 

Venile adoremus, 
Veniie, &c. 

Cantet nunc lo 

Chorus Angelorum, 
Cantet nunc Aula Coeies- 

tium, 

Gloria 

In excelsis Deo: 
Venite adoremus, 
Venite, &c. 

Ergo qui natus 

Die hodierna, 
Jesu tibi sit gloria : 

Pairis Belerni 

Verbum caro factum: 
Venite adoremus, 
Venite adoremus, 
Venite adoremus, &c. 



Litany for a happy Deaths 275 



LITANY FOR A HAPPY DEATH; 

Composed hy a young Lady^ who was con* 
verted to the Catholic Faith^ and afterwards 
died at eighteen^ in the odour of sanctity. 

OLORD Jesus, God of goodness and 
Father of mercies, I approach to thee 
with a contrite and humble heart: to thee I 
recommend the last hour of my life, and the 
decision of my eternal doom. 

When my feet, benumbed with deatli,"" 
shall admonish me that my mortal course 
is drawing to an end, 

When my eyes, dim and troubled at the 
approach of death, shall fix themselves on 
thee my last and only support, 

When my face, pale and livid, shall in- 
spire the beholders with pity and dismay; 
when my hair, bathed in the sweat of 
death, and stiffening on my head, shall 
forebode my approaching end, 

When my ears, soon to be for ever shut y S 
to the discourse of men, shall be open to 
the irrevocable decree, which is to cut me 
oif from the number of the living, 

When my imagination, agitated by 
dreadful spectres, shall be sunk in an 
abyss of anguish ; when my soul, affright- 
ed with the sight of my iniquities and the 
terrors of thy judgm.ents, shall have to fight 
against the angel of darkness, who will en- 
deavour to conceal thy mercies from my 
eyesj and to plunge me into despair. 



Hi 



276 Litany for a happy Death. 

When my poor heart, yielding to the 
pressure, and exhausted by its frequent 
struggles against the enemies of its salva- 
tion, shall feel th^ pangs of death, 

When the last tear, the forerunner of 
niy dissolution, shall drop from my eyes, 
receive it as a sacrifice of expiation for my 
sins ; grant that I may expire the victim 
of penance; and in that dreadful moment. 

When my friends and relations, en- 
circling my bed, shall shed the tear of pity 
over me, and invoke thy clemency in n)y 
behalf. 

When I shall have lost the use of my 
senses, when the world shall have vanish- 
ed from my sight^ when my agonizing soul 
€hall feel the sorrows of (ifeath, 

When my last sigh shall summon my 
soul to burst from the embraces of the 
body, and to spring to thee on the wings 
of impatience and desire. 

When my soul, trembling on my lips, 
shall bid adieu to the world, and leave my 
body lifeless, pale, and cpld, receive this 
separation as an homage, which I willing- 
ly pay to thy Divine Majesty ; and in that 
last moment of my mortal life, 

When at length my soul, admitted to 
thy presence, shall first behold the splendor 
of thy Majesty, reject me not, but receive 
me into thy bosom, where 1 may for ever 
sing thy praises; and in that moment^ when 
eternity shall begin to me^ 



Appendix to Catholic Piefj/, 277 
Let us Pray. 

OGod; who hast doomed ail men to die^ but 
hast concealed from ail the hour of their 
deathj grant that. I may pass my days in the 
practice of holiness and justice, and tliat i may 
I ' deserve to quit this world in the peace of a good 
\l conscience, and in the em.braces of thy lovei- 
through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



APPENDIX 

TO CATHOLIC PIETY. 

THE LITANY OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 



A short Instruction to the Devoid Reader. 

TTlHAT we may be equally disposed and 
B- subordinate to the designs and diiections 
; of Divine Providence, as well in adversity as in 
l| prosperity, and receive with equal gratitude its 
[ decrees and appointments, is the end of the 
, ensuing devotion or litany. Three particu- 
1* lars we ouglit to keep in view; 1. That we 
ji bow our heads with the greatest submissions 
r humility^ and resignation, to the will of God, 
I manifested to us in the order of his Divine Pro- 
: vidence. 2. That we place a full confidence 
\ and reliance in his favourable intentions in our 

regard. 3. That our behaviour be such as to 
I draw on us his favour and protection, and that 
! we maybe thoroughly grateful and acknowledg- 
|Mng for blessings conferred on us through his 
^1 Divine providence. 



278 laitany of Ditine Providence, 



THE LITANY. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christy have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. 
God the Father, whose holy Providence^ 

governs all things, 
God the Son, Redeemer of human kind^ 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, unchangeable 

Providence, 
Divine Providence, that governs all things 

in heaven and earth, 
Divine Providence, that gives, preserves, 

and governs our life, 
Divine Providence, the eternal love of 

man below and angels above, ^ a 

Divine Providence, ever conformable to j g 
the influence of the tender heart of )> ^ 
Jesus, ^ 
Divine Providence, that created, direc{s, ^ 
and TOverns all things with weight, 
measure, and wisaom, 
Divine Providence, our hope, life, and sal- 
vation, 

Divine Providence, defence and comfort of 

the afflicted, 
Divine Providence, guide and support of 

Souls in all dangers, 
Divine Providence, that provides us with, 

and iuii)arts to us, all natural and super- 

uaiurai iiiiU, 



to 



55 



Litany of Divine Providence, 279 

Divine Providence^ inexhaustible treasury"' 
of the riches of Heaven, 

Divine Providence, protector and defence 
of the just, 

Divine Providence, safe retreat and sanc- 
tuary to the miserable, 

Divine Providence^ our resource in all 
wants, 

Divine Providence, our anchor in storms, 
Divine Providence, our security in danger, 

our way and secure haven, 
Divine Providence, remedy in all evils, 
food to the hungry, and fountain of re- 
freshing water to the thirsty^) 
Divine Providence, raiment to the naked, 
strength to the weak, protector and mo- 
ther to widows and orphans, 
Divine Providence, refuge of sinners. 
Providence of God, who rules all things, infi- 
nitely deserving of our homage and adora- 
tion, spare us, O Lord. 
Providence of God, which protects and con- 
serves all things, infinitely worthy of our ho- 
mage and adoration, hear us, O Lord. 
Providence of God, which created and knows 
pur weakness, infinitely above our homage 
and adoration, have mercy on us, O Lord. 
V, We praise and adore thee^ Divine Provi- 
dence. 

7?. We resign ourselves to thy just and holy 
designs. 

Let us Fray. 
ETERNAL God, whose eyes are over all 
thy works, especially intent on thv servants^ 

Q2 



280 LiianT/ of Divine Providence, 

vouclisaie to turn away from us wliatever is 
liurtful, and grant us whatever is advantageaus, 
that through thy favour, and under the benign 
influence of thy special providence, we may 
securely pass through the transitory dangers 
and difficuhies of this hfe, and happily arrive 
at the eternal joys of the other ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Anth, By thy immaculate conception and 
iTiost spotless virginity, O ever Holy Mother of 
Christ, comfort of the afflicted, be propitious 
to us, both now and in the hour of our death* 

V. In all our anguish and tribulation. 
M. We % to thee, O Mother of Mercy. 

A Prayer. 

■REMEMBER, O most pious and tender 
Virgin, that it is a thing unheard of in all ages^ 
that any one was abandoned by you, who ran to 
you for succour, who implored your help, and 
begged your intercession. Animated with this 
confidence, I, a wretched sinner, place myself 
in sighs and groans before you, to intreat you 
to adopt me for your child for ever, and to 
take my eternal salvation into your own care. 
Ho not, O Mother of the Divine Word, 
despise my petition, but Hsten to me and hear 
me with a mother's tenderness. Amen. 

Great St. Jc-seph, admirable model of 
resignation, obtain for me from my dear Sa- 
viour, who, to enforce your example, would 
submit himself to be governed by you during 
the tliirty years of his hidden life, obtain for 
me from God the grace to imitate him, and to 



A Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 281 

resign myself perfectly to that, so sure^ and so 
amiable Providence, which, preserving me from 
ever going astray, may procure me an un- 
I alterable peace in this life, and eternal happiness^ 
in the next. Amen. 

A Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

O MOST amiable Heart of Jesus, fruitful 
source of all graces^ since thou desirest ta 
possess my heart, and commandest me to love 
thee, I consecrate it wholly to thee with all its 
affections. Accept the gift I make thee of all 
that I am. I am sensible^ what I give is little 
in comparison of w^hat I owe thee, and of the 
immense favO'Urs thou bestowest on me. I 
give thee nevertheless what 1 am able, and as 
much as thou askest and desirest of me. I am 
grieved that I give it thee unclean, full of in- 
gratitude, of earthly desires, and defiled with a 
thousand uncleannesses ! but do thou, infinite 
goodness, cleanse it with thy grace, sanctify it 
with thy gifts, disengage it from every fleeting 
I good, and kindle in it thy holy and mos^ 
^ pure love. I present it to thee proud and im- 
' patient; do thou make it humble and docile. 
Come then and reign in ft, O my God, and 
with thy sweet and amiable dominion over 
it, banish, destroy, consume, and annihilate 
whatever is in it displeasing to thee ; regulate 
its inclinations, correct its errors, fix its in- 
constancy, strengthen its weakness, purify it& 
intentions, warm its tepidity, impress in it a 
I horror of sin, a love and perfect observance of 
thy most iioly lav/,, meekness^ patience, charity 

Qs3 



282 A Prayer for the choice of a state of Life. 

towards its neighbour resignation to thy will ; 
and every virtue which has been thy delight, 
may it also be the delight of my heart. Be 
thou its guide in the dangerous ways of this 
world, its consolation in straits, its refuge in 
persecutions, its shield and defence against 
its enemies ; effect, in fine, that, dying to itself, 
it may no longer live but for thee. Amen, 

And thou, Mary, most holy and dear 
Mother of sacred love, thou who so much 
desirest that thy divine Son may be loved by 
all, obtain for me by thy most powerful inter- 
cession, that he may receive and accept this 
solemn consecration, which I this day make 
of my wlvole self in thy presence, to the ead 
that my name may be written in indelible 
characters in the number of those happy souls, 
who, faithful and constant in his service, may 
never be separated from the most sweet love of 
thy dear and most amiable Son Jesus. 

A Prayer for the choice of a state of Life. 

O ETERNAL God, who art the light of 
the world, and for whose glory the whole 
creation is ordained, to thee 1 submit myself, 
and my whole life : and that I may live to thy 
glory, I beseech thee in thy mercy to direct me 
in the choice of a state of life ; that, having thee 
for my guide, I may embrace that course which 
may he most pleasing to thee, and most proper 
for me to work out my salvation. 

O Queen of Heaven, and Mother of Jesus, 
be a mother to me, and obtain for me of thy 
Divine Son, that 1 may hear his call and know 
his will, and have grace readily to put it iato 



( 283 ) 



THE LITANY OF ST.WINEFRID. 



In tiie name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



J-^ORD have mercy on us. 
Christ have mercy on us. 
Lord have mercy on us. 

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of mankind, have 

mercy on us. 
God tl^ Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of Virgins, 
O blessed St, Wbiejrid^ 
O humble and mild virgin, 
O glorious spouse of Christ, 
O devout and charitable virgin, 
O sweet comforter of the afrlicted, 
O singular example of chas.4ty5 ^ 
O radiant star, .2 
O fairest flower of the British nation, 
O adm.irable and elected vessel, S 
O mirror of chastity, S 
O mir/or of devotion, 
O mirror of piety, 
<) bright lamp of sanctity, 
O golden im.age of angelical purity, 
O hope and safety of distressed pilgrims. 
That we maybe delivered from ail iniquity, 
That we may be delivered from all disor- 




dered passions of the mind, 



284 Litany of St. Winefrid, 

That we maybe delivered from the deceits"" 
of the world J theflesh, and the devil. 

That we may be delivered from all occa- 
sions of sin, 

That v/8 may be delivered from plague, 
famine, and war, 

That we may be delivered from the wrath 
of Godj and eternal damnation. 

That we and all sinners may have true 
contrition^ and full remission of our 
sins, 

That ail schismatics, heretics, and infi- 
dels, may be converted to the holy 
catholic and apostolic faith. 

That we may always hate sin and over- 
come ail temptations, 

That we may despise all worldly vanities 
and delights, A 

That we all may ever fear God, and fulfil [ 
his holy will. 

That w^e may have both spiritual and 
corporal health, 

That we may devf»atly affect chastity and 
purity of life. 

That we may fervently love humility and 
mildness. 

That we may delight in pious prayer, 
fasting, and charitable alms, I 

That we may discreetly and fervently con- J 
tinue in the exercise of godliness, | 

That we may cheerfully and constantly 
suffer, for ihe love of Christ, 

That the souls in purgatory, and all af- 
flicted persons, may obtain heavenly 
consolations, ^ 



Litany of St. Winefrid. 285 

That our benefactors, and all that labourl O 
to save souls, maybe blessed with abun- 
dance of orrace and everlasting life. 

That we may enjoy true peace, and 
endless felicity. 

That God, of his abundant mercy, will 
vouchsafe to bless this our p^grimage, 

That by thy pious intercession, it may be 
to the perfect health of aur souls and 
bodies, 

That thou wilt vouchsafe to grant our 

* requests, 
O Blessed St. Winefrid, pray for us. 
Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the 

world, spare us, O Lord* 
Lamb of God^ that takest away the sins of the 

world, hear us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, tliat takest away the sins of the 

w^orld, have mercy upon us. 
Christ hear us, Christ graciously hear us. 
Lord have mercy on us, Christ liave mercy ou 

us. 

Lord have mercy on us. 

Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

jR. Ana with thy Spirit. 

Let its Pray. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who 
hast adorned St. Winefrid with the reward of 
virginity ; grant, we beseech thee, by her 
pious intercession, that we may set aside the 
delights of the world, and obtain with her-- 
the throne of everlasting glory: through 



§86 Litany of St. Winefi id. 

Jesus Christ thy Son, who with thee hveth 
and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost 
forever. Amen. 

Another Prayer. 
ALMIGHTY andeverlasting God, grant, we 
humbly beseech thee, that blessed St. Winefrid, 
by her pious intercession, may obtain for us 
such spiritual and temporal benefits as are ex- 
pedient to thy holy service and our eternal 
salvation: thro' our Lord Jesus Christ thySon^ 
who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and 
reigneth, ever one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

The Hymn of St, TVinefdd. 

As the fragrant rose in pleasing spring. 

To God's own Son a spouse most dear, 
A martyr rare of Christ our King, 

St. Winefrid did flourish here ; 
Descended great of British race, 

In faith was firm, in hope secure. 
With holy works and soul of grace. 

From worldly filth preserved pure, 
Caradock this sacred maiden slew, 

Because she did resist his lust. 
But Heaven's immediate vengeance flew. 

And doomed his soul for ever curst. 
Stained with spots of reeking blood, 

Where Caradock*6 sword sever*d the head 5 
A healing stream immediate flowed, 

Perpetual token of tlie deed. 
Here God supreme doth wonders work. 
The blind to see, the dumb to speak. 
Diseases which in bodies lurk, 

Are cur'd where faith is not too weak. 
O glorious Virgin Winefrid, 

To us tlie raging sea appease, 
And free us so from Satan^s dread, 
That he on us m^y never seise. 



Litany of St. mnefrid. 287 



A Prayer to St. Winefrid. 

O blessed Winefrid, O pure Virgin, and glorious Martyr, 
so especially elected, so divinely graced, and wonderfully 
restored from death to life. O singular hope of all that fly 
unto thee with full confidence and humility. Though un- 
worthy, yet we thy devoted pilgrims make our addresses to 
thee, O sanctuary of piety, look upon us with patient eyes, 
receive our petitions, accept our offerings, and present our 
supplications to the throne of Meicy, that through those of 
thy pov/erful intereessions, God will be pleased to bless 
this our pilgrimage, and grant us our requests and desires. 
Through Jesus Christ his Son, who with God the Father, 
and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

Another Prayer to St. Winefrid. 

O blessed Winefrid, O glorious Virgin and Martyr, who 
hast admirably beautified with the purple of thy blood the 
rare purity of thy innocent life, whom God has so specially 
chosen, so highly privileged, and so wonderfully restored to 
life again, gracing thee wdth the honour of a living martyr, 
causing a fountain miraculously to spring, bearing a perpetual 
memory of thy name, for ihe relief of all diseased and distressed 
pilgrims who shall devoutly beg thy powerful intercession, 
O blessed Winefrid, hear niy prayers and receive my humble 
supplications, or any poor devoted pilgrim's, and obtain that 
by thy pious intercession, God of his infinite mercy will be 
pleased to grant us a full pardon and remission of our sins,^ 
and a blessing to this our pilgrimage, and that we may in- 
crease and persevere in God's grace, and enjoy him eternally in 
Heaven. T.his we beg of thee, O blessed Virgin and Martyr^, 
ixix Jesus Ghiist, our Lord and Saviour's sake. Amm» 



CONT 



ENTS. 



PREFACE Pages 
Table of Feasts and Fasts 5 
Plenary Indulgences 6 
Table of Moveable Feasts 8 
« Calendar 9 
Morning Prayer 21 
Acts of Faitb, Hope, &c. 26 
Litany of the holy Name 

of Jesus 29 
The Salve Regina, in verse S 1 
The Angelas Domini 32 
Short Ejaculations in the 

course of the day 33 
Prayers for Night 55 
Litany of the B. Virgin 39 
Hymn, Te lucia ante ter- 

minuia 42 
Prayers at !Mass 46 
Preparation for Confession 69 
Prayers before Examina- 
tion of Conscience 72 
An Examination of Con- 
science 74 
Prayers before Confession 85 
Prayers after Confession 90 
Instruct, for Communion 95 
Prayers before Commu- 
nion 1 00 
Acts of Virtue before 

Communion 1 04 

A Pmyer for obtaining the 
effects of a Plenary In- 
dulgence 112 
Prayers after Commnnionl 17 
Acts of Virtue after Com- 

\ muni on 1 23 

he Seven Peniteaitial 
' Psalms 154 
The Litany of Saints, Z45 
IModves to Perseverance 

in a virtuous Life 151 
Devotions for every Day * 
ill th€ Week 154; 



Sunday, to the blessed 

Trinity 154 
Monday, to the Holy 

Ghost 155 
Tuesday, to our Angel 

Guardian 157 
Wednesday, to Saint 

Joseph 158 
Thursday, to the bles- 
sed Sacrament 159 
Friday, to the Passion 
of our blessed Sa- 
viour 160 
Saturday, to the blessed 
Virgin Mary 162 
Pious Reflections for every 

Day in the Month 164 
Meditations on the Apos- 
tles' Creed 204 
Anthem of the B. Virgin 2 1 7 
Instructions & Devotions 

for the Sick 218 
Preparations for Death 23 1 
Short Acts of Virtue for 

the Sick 237 
Prayers in time of A gony 247 
Recommendation of a 

Soul departing 252 
Prayers for the Faithful 

departed 260 
Thanksgiving upon a 

Person*9 Recovery 261 
An Universal I^rayer 262 
A daily Prayer for a 

pregnant Woman 264 
A Prayer before Ser^ 

raon, Sec, 266 
Vespers in Latin ib. 
Hymns, &c. 270 
Adeste Fideles 274 
Litany for a happy deatli 275 

of Divine Providence ±77 

—of St, Winefrid 283 



7 \l 



